The Killer

"Execution is everything"

is the tagline of The Killer and makes for a perfect meta-commentary that connects the essence of the film with the life's work of its director.

David Fincher is as meticulous in his filmmaking craft here as his main character is in his professional craft. The Killer could become the new handbook for "how to make a perfect looking film". A picture put on canvas, so thoroughly thought out and taken care of, I couldn't help myself while sitting in the theater but marvel over its execution and attention to detail. I literally had Goosebumps half the time because I was so gripped by the atmosphere and beauty that unfolded in front of me. Perhaps Finchers most meditative piece. Fincher delivers his dark and gritty tendencies in familiar fashion, but this time slightly more reserved and introspective. With scalpel-like accuracy he carefully constructs a gripping character study that tackles the addictive nature of a personal vendetta as well as the mental sanity and emotional control needed to remain successful and alive in this line of work. A constant heartbeat within the sound design, the effortlessly rythmic editing and the hauntingly calm narration from Michael Fassbender, who acts as methodically meticulous as David Fincher directs. A man who will so easy take a life, and the unpredictable and tense nature of this subject matter make for a shockingly effective and nerve-racking experience.

What a streak of cinema, my favorite directors all come out with new work, my film heart is full.

I don't understand why people give this movie 1-2 stars. It's not a great movie but how do you rate it so low when 90% of movies are much worse and have better ratings. It does start slow but then turns into a quite watchable and enjoyable action flick, with minor logical holes but a gem compared to movies that don't make sense at all.

Sure; it will be a waste of time for many, but what do you expect, to be enlightened and see something amazing and original that no one ever suspected? How many of such movies are released every year?

The Killer is simply a dose of decent entertainment when you do decide to waste some time and run out of amazing truly movies to watch.

What happens when a hired killer makes a mistake?

After a twenty minute introduction, something finally happens, and you're left with a film that's beautifully shot, well acted, with a somewhat interesting story.

The trouble is, if this film were a song, it would be something by The Smiths, there's definitely a fan base, but for some of us, it's all just too slow, too dull, and ultimately a depressing affair.

The voiceovers become a little irritating after an hour or so, and that constant first person narration slows the film down to a snail's pace.

Neo noir style, nice to look at, and I did like Michael Fassbinder's performance, but ultimately I couldn't stop myself from yawning for the full two hours.

5/10.

Fassbender and Fincher have crafted a cold and very slick thriller. It's incredibly unique and in many ways, brilliant. It will certainly not be for everyone and it should not be categorised as an action film.

David Fincher's directing is as crisp and precise as always. The cinematography is great and the film looks incredible. It's technically sound and visually stunning with its cold contrasted shots. Fassbender is as brilliant as always and commands the scenes.

BUT, my brain cannot seem to accept the simplicity of the story. I expected something completely different from this and i really believe that the synopsis provided is misleading. It does not feel like there are any stakes in this film nor character development and under no point is there serious danger. We get a brief (cliche) incident to get us started and then it is monotone the rest of the way, much like the protagonist. Maybe there's a hidden, beautiful parallel to that, i dont know.

I feel like i need to watch this again with a different mindset because it's not what i expected or what was advertised.

Despite my complaints, i liked this movie. I just wish the story and action sequences had been expanded a lot more. It's worth a watch, just not the watch you're expecting.

This movie is perfectly fine. It is so perfectly fine, that I can´t think of a single explicit point of criticism at all. However, i can´t think of anything that made it particularly great either. It is too clean. Meanwhile that is the point of the movie. It is about a man whose entire life revolves around minimizing errors, being in control, and following a set of internalized rules without emotions ever coming in the way. And it is an interesting idea to see a hitman treating the profession of violently murdering people as just another repetitive 9 to 5 job, that you just have to get through day after day. But when it comes to telling a compelling story, that is a bit of a problem. Because what generally makes movies stand out - even thrillers like these - is the ability to get people emotionally invested, to have them feel with the characters. This is explicitly not, what is happening here. There is not a single emotion in this movie. It is kind of about revenge but not really. You are just watching a man go through his perfected way of getting his job done and this job just so happens to be killing people who show varying degrees of innocence. We don´t even know anyone´s name. There is however one amazing fight scene that has one of the best choreographies that I have seen in Hollywood in a long time and which had me at the edge of my seat for at least five minutes. Irnoically, this is also the only scene where the character decides to not follow his set of rules and ignores the fact that he might be a little bit too emotional to perfectly execute his task. And it is the most gripping scene of the movie. Maybe that means something...

7/10.