The Killer

The Killer is very understated for a movie that is ostensibly a thriller, so I'm not really surprised that many viewers don't quite know what to make of it. But if you're willing to give it the attention and consideration it deserves I don't think you will regret it.

It's particularly interesting that so many people are faulting this movie for the protagonist frequently not living up to what he says about himself. That's kind of the point. The voiceover throughout the movie isn't narration, it's internal monologue. He's not telling these things to us, he's telling them to himself.

What makes the character interesting is hearing the things he says in his head, and then seeing how his actions either conform or conflict with them. When he tells himself "reject empathy" over and over, and then shows someone a sliver of kindness, we understand that he's violating his personal code of conduct and we're left to ponder why. Maybe deep down he's still a human being, no matter how much he might want to believe that he's simply a killing machine.

We all have an idea in our heads of the person we'd like to be, but we're seldom able to live up to that idea. In that way the Killer is just like us. Except he kills people for a living.

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.

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.

It's well compiled. The narration got me invested. Shot beautifully, the suspenseful music is excellent. The movie as a whole is...yeah it's fine? It lacks depth and some scenes lack logic as well. It makes for a fun watch nevertheless. Better than most of the stuff going around these days. A one time watch and you never think about it again kind of a watch. Not Fincher's best but not his worst either. Fassbender is decent in his role portrayed as a mysterious killer who has a knack for everything pretty much. Solid punches to the face by a guy twice his size does not faze him at all. That's about it really.

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.