The Killer Kills You Softly with His Narration
What's the what, Streamers! Netflix has a robust slate of new releases at the end of this year, which includes the new movie directed by David Fincher, The Killer. David Fincher has made some really amazing films that are meticulously controlled and brimming with suspense like Se7en, Zodiac, and The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo. After his foray into prestige, biopic territory with Mank, it is good to see Fincher return to this pure genre exercise. Here's how it went.
Based on a French graphic novel, The Killer follows the story of an assassin (Michael Fassbender) who makes a fateful mistake on a job that leads to an international race to clean up the mess the only way he knows how. The Killer spouts his philosophy on doing his job, but it all seems to unravel minute by minute. As things crumble in successive vignettes, The Killer has to maintain control as best he can. Bloody, bloody, heavily-narrated hijinks ensue.
Well, to be generous, The Killer is deliberately paced. Okay, it is very slow. Fincher has made the choice to build tension by very slowly unfurling this story. There is so much narration by the main character that it becomes oppressive. It's a good way to get us inside the mind of this unreadable, unknowable man, but it is exhausting and borders on boring. It takes a while for the action of this "Action" movie to kick in, but it might be too little, too late when it does. There is one epic fight sequence that would almost be worth the price of admission, but it comes very late in the film. Beyond that, the Killer uses some interesting and chuckle-worthy aliases on his various travels. Fincher has his typical, cool aesthetic that makes the movie look very slick. I think trimming this movie about 30 minutes would have made it a much more engrossing and vital suspense thriller.
Side note: Tilda Swinton comes in for one scene and kills it as usual.
Ultimately, The Killer is very slow and there's not enough story to justify the runtime. This movie should have been cut down by 30 minutes. Fincher is a master of suspense and has a cool aesthetic, but overall, this film is too slow and boring except for one intense fight sequence. I'm bummed to give this is only a handful of popcorn because Fincher movies are typically a favorite of mine.
Based on a French graphic novel, The Killer follows the story of an assassin (Michael Fassbender) who makes a fateful mistake on a job that leads to an international race to clean up the mess the only way he knows how. The Killer spouts his philosophy on doing his job, but it all seems to unravel minute by minute. As things crumble in successive vignettes, The Killer has to maintain control as best he can. Bloody, bloody, heavily-narrated hijinks ensue.
Well, to be generous, The Killer is deliberately paced. Okay, it is very slow. Fincher has made the choice to build tension by very slowly unfurling this story. There is so much narration by the main character that it becomes oppressive. It's a good way to get us inside the mind of this unreadable, unknowable man, but it is exhausting and borders on boring. It takes a while for the action of this "Action" movie to kick in, but it might be too little, too late when it does. There is one epic fight sequence that would almost be worth the price of admission, but it comes very late in the film. Beyond that, the Killer uses some interesting and chuckle-worthy aliases on his various travels. Fincher has his typical, cool aesthetic that makes the movie look very slick. I think trimming this movie about 30 minutes would have made it a much more engrossing and vital suspense thriller.
Side note: Tilda Swinton comes in for one scene and kills it as usual.
Ultimately, The Killer is very slow and there's not enough story to justify the runtime. This movie should have been cut down by 30 minutes. Fincher is a master of suspense and has a cool aesthetic, but overall, this film is too slow and boring except for one intense fight sequence. I'm bummed to give this is only a handful of popcorn because Fincher movies are typically a favorite of mine.
- Stream2BigScreen_Movie_Reviews
- Nov 19, 2023