“The Killer” review: David Fincher explores the psyche of a killer

Murderer (Murderer) – triumphant return David Fincher to directing three years after his last Oscar-winning film, decoy, released in 2020. Since then, the award-winning director has released a couple of short films, but a new film has been in short supply. For his return, the American chose a graphic novel by the artist Alexis Nolent. And he chose a German as the main character of his thriller Michael Fassbender. With these two ingredients, the director begins to play with what he likes best in search of new career successes. The film opens in select theaters on October 27 and hits Netflix on November 10.

Fincher He has produced such legendary films as Seven, Fight club, A loss or Alien 3. In addition, he also created a series of similar House made of cards And Midhunter. Returning to the big screen, he wanted to play it safe by sticking with the terrain he excels in: suspense. Murderer This is the story of a cold, calculating and lonely man. Methodical and tireless, one day he finds himself in a situation he never expected.

Main character, Christian, is a killer. And the film begins when he is about to carry out the order. Everything has been studied down to the millimeter, it is impossible to make a mistake. But as fate would have it, the shot misses. From there, he must confront his employers in a chase across the planet to keep himself and his loved ones safe. A classic revenge plot, enhanced by the charisma of a maniacal killer.

Murderercharacter history

Because if there’s something that Fincher wants to make it clear from minute zero that everything is Murderer will spin around Christian. What is important is your inner world, which serves as an anchor so that you do not get lost. What happens outside is simply the engine that makes it move. Voice in turned off Constantly express thoughts and mantras to the viewer that are repeated incessantly. Containment exercise Fassbender it is important that this approach turns out to be what it is.

The director offers a game full of adrenaline, in which the only thing that should remain unchanged is the psychology of the main character. This is the foundation on which it stands Murderer. Everything is told from the point of view of this mysterious psychopath, harboring absolutely lethal brutal violence. The film is so interested in dissecting the soul (if there is one) of this flesh-and-blood cyborg that it doesn’t even need to go into too much detail about the universe in which he lives. And this is one of the differences between the film and other films with similar themes.

Unlike worlds as rich as, for example, the world John WickFincher barely draws a couple of strokes on the playing field on which he acts Murderer. The director turns the overused genre on its head to hide from us what is outside and show us the state of what is inside. Yes, we quickly sense the figures of mercenaries and leaders of some kind of mafia or murder syndicate. But nothing more is needed. The final element he uses to achieve this goal is the camera itself, which relentlessly follows Fassbender. Whatever happens, she goes with him as his suffocating and inseparable companion.

totemic principle

It should be noted that if Murderer He has a particularly strong point – this is his beginning. The first 15 minutes are a real atrocity.. And not a single dialogue occurs in them. A long and deep monologue about the good work of the killer is the only thing that separates Christian and the viewer from the emptiness of silence. In many cases, the resource of extradiegetic storytelling turns out to be too tasteless due to excessive exaggeration of the obvious. But Fincher, a master of the genre, uses it with surgical precision to give his actor’s every frame and every movement that much more meaning.

Fassbender’s words resonate powerfully as he assembles and disassembles his weapons, changes his costume, and hides in the shadows of a tourist apartment. Just a couple of sentences are enough to fully immerse us in the action Murderer. Since then, the film has never let go. It’s a flawless opening that rivals the best scenes Fincher has ever directed. It could even serve as a hypnotic independent short film. In short, one of the scenes of the year.

It is true, however, that what follows this barbaric premise is a very standard level film. After the prologue Murderer This is another revenge movie. There are a couple of particularly interesting scenes, such as a meeting with Tilda Swinton and another in the office (we won’t reveal more to avoid spoilers). But in no way does it even come close to the original perfection. Anyway though Its narrative structure is repetitive and its development is completely predictable.You can watch it with pleasure, as it is frankly entertaining.

To the rhythm of the clock

It’s the good rhythm that’s to blame Fincher prints this. Where most artists fail in this type of film, he succeeds with offensive smugness. It doesn’t even surpass the dramatic content Murderer nor in excessive actions. Everything is kept in balance, which seems simple but is actually very difficult to achieve. The tone is always the same, whether it is a business conversation or a mortal fight. The director knows very well what he is doing.

The film moves as constantly as the hands of a Swiss watch. Without getting ahead, without stopping. Fincher uses his unerring metronome to mark the rhythm between scenes in a perfectly choreographed dance. Combined with subtle but excellent editing and incredibly well-made sound design, the effect is achieved in which the viewer cannot get lost in the frames or leave the story. Except, Murderer lasts only two hours (118 minutes) so it doesn’t feel long or heavy.

Murderer At its core, it’s a good vendetta thriller.. Aside from the stunning opening act, there’s nothing special about it, but it doesn’t fall short in any aspect. This is extremely interesting. And hooks thanks ice Fassbender who fits the role like a glove and is a prodigy of one of the best directors of the last 40 years. It always goes ahead alone and leaves a pleasant taste in the mouth when finished. It’s not a colossal piece of work like Fincher’s finest, but it’s an undeniably downright enjoyable experiment.