I quite literally just written this review - how uncanny. So I’ll post it here:
The subject of today's criticism is The Killer, the latest movie by David Fincher, starring Michael Fassbender. I should say here at the start, I am quite a fan of Fincher's work, but at the same time, I'm not a fan of Michael Fassbender. I've always found his performances to be insincere, inauthentic.
The Killer is a surprisingly lightweight and somewhat derivative film for David Fincher. A master director and a visual storyteller of impeccable craft and intelligence, Fincher has arguably built his reputation on a series of procedural thrillers that represent the pinnacle of the genre (Fightclub notwithstanding), including Seven, Zodiac, and two seasons of Mindhunter. The Killer, by contrast, is a small, unambitious movie that does nothing you haven't seen before. Fassbender plays a nameless assassin who makes a mistake. In retribution, his employers go after the only person he cares about. Fassbender seeks revenge. There is nothing more to the plot.
The most problematic aspect, however, is Fassbender's character. In a lengthy opening scene, it is clearly established that he is a cold, indifferent killer. A man who lives within a set of principles and rigorous application of discipline to his profession. It is surprising, therefore, that he is prepared to throw this carefully constructed framework to the wind, in order to go home to claim his lady, and then seek revenge when she suffers little more than a bump to the head after being attacked by a couple of nasties. It's a flimsy framework to support a few well-staged episodic set pieces, a structure the film acknowledges by being split into chapters, complete with on-screen headings.
Supporting characters are well played by the likes of Tilda Swinton and Charles Parnell, both of whom offer rich, if brief, performances that contrast greatly with Fassbender's cold, robotic portrayal. Perhaps that is the point, but it leaves us questioning the validity of Fassbender's actions throughout the film. Why risk so much when he seems to care so little?
The closing note of the film is built on empathy - overtly telegraphed for the audience through Fassbender's voiceover, just in case you missed it. The trajectory of the killer is clear to see. The cold, clinical assassin discovers his humanity through a journey of revenge, culminating with a choice to step away from violence.
Perhaps Fassbender's performance was too subtle for me, but I think a crucial part of the story is missing. We barely see Fassbender interact with his lady love. We aren't shown the duality of his personality. The lady exists not as a character but as a motivational device. She is the reason the plot happens, but there is little effort to embed her into the story. She has no agency, she offers nothing to the killer and receives nothing in return. As a result, it is hard to believe the killer can be motivated by something as conventional as love. The film feels empty as a result, somehow less than the sum of its set-pieces, and a disappointment. |
List here the last film or TV series you watched and give it a rating out of ten (ten being perfection)
If you can be arsed, you can even write a little review.
I’ll start you off: Magic Mike’s Last Dance.
A pile of crap 
2
Over to you now 
