The Killer (2023) Dir. David Fincher

After the somewhat divisive pet-project Mank, the master of the dark thriller David Fincher returns once again to his dark roots with Michael Fassbender as a professional assassin seeking revenge and redemption in this adaptation from writer Andrew Kevin Walker.

As methodical as the director himself, the film’s slow-burn opening has Fassbender’s diligent sniper preparations go askew when he misses the intended target and flees Paris police. And on the hitman’s return to his tropical home he discovers his handlers have enacted a brutal revenge on his girlfriend.

Cue a plan of murderous retaliation as the assassin tracks down those involved in the murderous plot. He cross paths with a range of unsavoury characters – as well as undertaking a handful of questionable kills too – to deliver some brutal ‘justice’.

It’s the antithesis of John Wick – although along with plenty of dogs and a skilled hitman, it has its similarities – as it avoids the gun-fu action in favour of Fincher’s diligent composure and painstaking detail.

The director’s ‘frosty’ style and controlled cinematography are the perfect blend to tell the story of an uber-organised ice-cold killer. And when the violence and blood eventually arrive, it’s a blitz of ruthless intensity.

The standout is Fassbender, who has the weight of the film on him, and he is tremendous from the start, with just the right amount of unemotional detachment but with a hint of humanity beneath the surface. Great support comes from Tilda Swinton and Charles Parnell (Top Gun) and with X-Men: First Class and this, Fassbender is still making a case to be a future James Bond.

And Walker's script has surprisingly funny moments which deliver some appropriate black humour to alleviate the near-constant darkness and dread.

With a thoughtful ending, we are offered some hope amongst all the carnage, and with hints of redemption Fincher wraps up his mesmerising movie with an attempt to bring order to plenty of criminal chaos.

★★★★½

4.5 / 5

Michael Sales

Available to stream on Netflix now