We love it when a director works in their element. Whether it’s Christoper Nolan dealing with time, Martin Scorsese with the mob or David Cronenberg working with body horror, a great director will find what ever works the best for them in their little sandbox. For someone like a David Fincher, the man has a natural act for cold and bleak mysteries. It’s been abundantly clear in several of his movies, whether you’re talking about Seven, Gone Girl and especially Zodiac. One might get tired of the overused genre for specific filmmakers but if it really works for them and they can deliver the goods then why stop them? David Fincher is one of the worlds best working directors and the last film he made in Mank (which was also under the Netflix umbrella) earned some serious awards consideration. The film before that in Gone Girl was a huge box-office smash. In a way, Fincher can delver box-office gold and arthouse entertainment at the same time. His new movie The Killer, which has been a passion project of his for awhile and knowing how much a critical darling Mank was, Netflix was probably glowing with eagerness to work with Fincher on another film.
Cold, mesmerizing and true to form for David Fincher, The Killer is a meticulously crafted noir thriller that puts us right in the shoes of hit man where everything goes wrong. Michael Fassbender gives us the best performance he’s had in ages, the sound design and visual quality are impeccable and having Fincher team up with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross as the films composers is another win.
In the last couple of years, there’s never been an actor that has needed a comeback more than Michael Fassbender. Less we forget, Michael Fassbender is a two time Academy Award nominated actor. He was universally acknowledged as a perfect fir for a younger version of Charles Xavier/ Magneto in the latest few X-Men movies and he’s just been a great talent overall. Unfortunately, he’s put himself in a tricky scenario because he failed to bring any kind life with the Assassins Creed movie. Even as good of a performance he put in as a younger Magneto, Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix were subpar for many people. The Snowman is quite possibly one of the worst things he’s ever done with his career and it has put his image in jeopardy, despite how great he is as an actor. The Killer is easily the best performance he’s given in years and it reminds us that he’s one of the best leads in the business. He plays a character where everything goes wrong for him while on the job, but Fassbender brings a great sense of dark humor to his character that makes him so much more engaging.
Along with Michael Fassbender’s great performance is coupled with David Fincher’s precise and skillfully crafted direction. His perspective perfectly lines up with the characters psyche, he slowly and deliberately builds up tension, he gives each and every single moment complexity and David Fincher carefully examines the life of a hitman in edgier and unique perspective that does, at times, feel a bit too easy and obvious every now and then, but David Fincer finds a way to to make Fassbender’s character captivating and the narrative engrossing. One other complement is that David Fincher’s movies are always going to look and sound marvelous and The Killer might be his best work yet in terms of the sound design and cinematography. Fincher is also teaming up with composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, two of the best working film scorer’s in the business. The music embodies the mind of a hitman in a cold-hearted and methodical manner. It’s just another example that when combine the talents of David Fincher, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, you’re more than likely going to get a movie that looks and sounds impeccable.
Netflix seems to like with working with David Fincher, not just with his film Mank, but especially with the Mindhunter TV series. It’s unfortunate that Netflix doesn’t risk more in releases their movies in the theaters, especially when David Fincher is making it. Nevertheless, The Killer is another strong win for Netflix and David Fincher. It makes us fall in love again with Michael Fassbender as a performer, it’s another great noir film and it’s one of Netflix’s best films to date.
Zane's take at the Cinema's 