What happens when the flawless assassin at last misses? Director David Fincher‘s gripping film “The Killer,” starring Michael Fassbender, is propelled by the ensuing chaos. Fassbender’s incessant narration deftly changes the glamorous and mysterious nature of contract killings to one of deadly drudgery.
Working from a French graphic novel, director David Fincher and writer Andrew Kevin Walker (who reunited after their early masterpiece “Se7en”) capture the monotony of waiting for the perfect opportunity to kill someone, especially on “Annie Oakley jobs,” eating fast food, and passing the time even in a global city. Imagine “The Accidental Tourist,” minus the silencer.
Early on, Fassbender’s anonymous character muses, “I am what I am,” giving Popeye credit for the idea. “I am not unique.”
Since he is actually very skilled at what he does, it is especially shocking when he suddenly shifts from being a predator to a prey after all that careful planning. The anonymous assassin must flee because his employers view him as a loose end before realizing that the best defense is a strong offense.
In the process, Fassbender’s character travels the world while using a hilarious array of vintage TV names as aliases on phony passports. Along with a sequence of interactions with several talented actors, including Tilda Swinton and Arliss Howard, he also features a hand-to-hand combat scene that, when combined with the pre-fight choreography, nearly qualifies as an instant classic and shows off novel applications for a number of household appliances.
Few actors could pull off this kind of minimally spoken role with the same quiet menace that Fassbender does, and Fincher keeps the action moving at a slow but consistently captivating pace, creating tension even in the moments when not much is happening.
After a brief theatrical run, “The Killer” made its way to Netflix. Despite having an outdated vibe, it hits the mark by injecting a dash of humor, freshness, and unpredictable elements into this overdone genre.
Even though it debuted during Netflix’s year-end promotion of films with more ambitious hopes of winning awards, it should have a lengthy run on the platform’s most-viewed content and “you might like” tiers. That may not be extraordinary, but as the man stated, “The Killer” is what he is, and it’s almost exactly what it ought to be.