MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Action Thriller/Stars: Michael Fassbender, Arliss Howard, Charles Parnell, Kerry O’Malley, Sala Baker, Sophie Charlotte, Tilda Swinton, Gabriel Polanco, Emiliano Pernía, Endre Hules, Monique Ganderton, Jack Kesy/Runtime: 118 minutes

I think it can safely be argued dear reader that if you were to ever look for a cinematic equivalent to how Martin Scorsese has handled the gangster subgenre of movie magic then perhaps the first place to look would be in how equally as iconic film helmer David Fincher has handled the subgenre of movie magic that deals with serial killers or killers in general. I say this because whilst these categories of individuals are by no means the only people that these men place their focus on throughout their respective, and iconic, filmographies, there is also no denying that they are vital components to say nothing of personifications for the key themes that they are trying to express to an audience.  Not only that, but each time they make a return trip to their distinct cinematic wells of choice, they do so in such a way that slices through the myth and lore surrounding these “professions” in order to show us who these (by and large) men really are when the labels surrounding them have been removed. It is in that respect that I can definitely describe the latest slice of cinema from David Fincher in the form of the new release on Netflix known simply as The Killer. Indeed here is Fincher finally choosing to make the serial killer a protagonist in a film of his for once and then taking that protagonist on a winding and quasi-sorta lengthy road of disappointment until any degree of reverence has been weathered out of the audience member who grew up romanticizing these distinct figures in cinema or pop culture in general. In that regard, I would have to say that this slice of cinema is for Fincher what a film like 2019’s The Irishman was for Scorsese. By that I mean both slices of cinema are ones that possess a wonderful degree of familiarity with their helmer’s previously established filmography, both in content and style, and they both are engaging and sculpted extremely well. Having said that though, it should also be said that, unlike The Irishman, The Killer does sadly suffer from not having nearly as engaging of a narrative nor is the dialogue given to the cast of characters even close to being on the level of well-written as it was with the former. Even with that in mind however, it should be said that, those flaws aside, there is more than enough here to really admire about this slice of cinema. To be sure, it might not be on the level of some of Fincher’s other works, but with the aid of compelling work on both sides of the camera, 2023’s The Killer is still a riveting slice of cinema from one of the more distinct helmers in the land of movie magic and sometimes that’s really all you need.

The plot is as follows: An adaptation of a French graphic novel series of the same name by Alexis “Matz” Nolent, The Killer gets its fairly intriguing narrative underway by introducing us to our nameless (and for the rest of the movie remains that way) protagonist. A man who, among other noteworthy attributes that could be worth knowing about him as a person, happens to be a member of that infamous and distinct career group known as professional assassins (hence the title of the film). As the story is beginning, we see that this skilled killer is currently in no less a locale than Paris, France and staking out a hotel room with a sniper rifle across the way from where he is currently holed up. The reason, as I am sure the man’s choice of career might strongly suggest, is because there is a person who will be checking into the room at….some point in the fairly immediate future and, upon the person arriving in the room, he is to swiftly and promptly eliminate them with no hesitation. Of course, while he waits for his target to arrive, we are treated to narration not only about his assortment of actions that he engages in before the job gets underway, but also in regards to how his extremely high degree of pessimism to say nothing of severe void of feeling for the vast majority of other people in the world has managed to make him the highly-skilled part of his distinct community that he is. Yet upon the target finally making their arrival into the hotel room, we soon witness as something unexpected goes down. That being that our stone-cold iceman of a killer, despite all of his meticulous planning and preparation, misses the target and hits an innocent instead. As a result, we see that in a swift and sudden instant the hunter has now been transformed into the hunted and, should he wish to survive and see another day, he is going to have embark on an international quest to not only find, but also eliminate those who hired him for the assignment as they have already sent out a pair of the killer’s “colleagues” to do quite the number on someone he holds very near and dear to him at one of his safehouses in the locale of the Dominican Republic. As for whether or not he is able to get to them to say nothing of the other two assassins who were brought onboard before they manage to get to him however that is something that I think I shall leave for you to discover for yourself dear reader….

Now right off, it is worth noting that the work done behind the camera on this slice of cinema is nothing short of being more or less remarkable. Of course, this should hardly come as a surprise dear reader since not many people have the skill to make a thriller on the level that David Fincher has been able to time and time again. Indeed ever since he first roared onto the screen with such gems as 1995’s Se7en and 1997’s highly underrated The Game, this is a guy who has a wonderful degree of insight toward not only what can lure a movie goer into a tangled knot of a film, but also how best to unravel the secrets that are contained within that aforementioned knot. Suffice it to say then that it really is an ode to the positives this man has as a filmmaker that even when he chooses to take on such films as 2020’s Mank or 2007’s Zodiac that his framework embedded in the concept of crime procedurals is still where he is able to operate at the pinnacle of his abilities. It is when looking at this slice of cinema through that prism that we see that this film is, in many respects, a homecoming of sorts for Fincher and thankfully it manages to be yet another riveting addition to his filmography even if there might be a bit less substance to the narrative than what we might like there to be. As touched on at the beginning of this section though, Fincher is known first and foremost for being an excellent cinematic sculptor and that is very much apparent here. I mean not only does the brisk work done by the cinematography department brilliantly showcase the unyielding and chilled outlook present from the word go, but the stylish editing work does an incredible job at being both as orderly as our nameless protagonist and as chaotic when things take a turn for him early on. Besides that, we also see that both the effects noises to say nothing of the film’s brilliant musical accompaniment also do their part in masterfully molding the relentless degree of suspense present in the film. Yet even though every single one of these components are merely reminders of what Fincher has done in previous cinematic endeavors, they still manage to be quite potent when executed here. Besides these time-honored elements though, we do see that Fincher does show a bit of novelty every now and then including an increased utilization of handheld camera work in order to showcase our protagonist’s degree of anxiety at points. A degree of creativity that definitely comes to play when it comes to a downright unyielding combat sequence where you all but feel on your own body every fist that makes contact between the characters involved. Indeed if there is any issue with this slice of cinema’s behind the camera work it would have to be in regards to the narrative. This is because, despite or perhaps because it is an adaptation of a graphic novel series, it isn’t long before we see that the narrative here is not one we are meant to ponder on, but merely be entertained by. To be sure, this is not a entirely bad thing, but it also does push some of the more intriguing components to the curb. Besides that, it should also be said that the dialogue, by and large, in this is not the best written dialogue in the world and this is a film that, much like A Quiet Place, is more engaging when things are quiet on screen. Suffice it to say then that the work done behind the camera on this is mostly solid, but be it an error on the part of the source material or on the movie proper, there are some areas where this film is lacking thus ensuring this is quite riveting, but to an extent rather than as fully as it could have been.

Of course, the other big element that definitely helps this slice of cinema work as well as it is ultimately able to achieve would have to come in the form of the performances given by the talented group of players that have been assembled in front of the camera. This, without question, starts with Michael Fassbender in the titular role and, following a three to four-year hiatus from the screen in the aftermath of the fairly disastrous X-Men: Dark Phoenix, this is very much a welcome return for this distinct talent (judgement on his other big movie this year Next Goal Wins still pending). Indeed Fassbender manages to be not only brilliant and fashionable, but also creepily on-point in his portrayal of an individual in this more than slightly twisted career field. Indeed there are moments where he definitely gives off the vibe of being an individual who if you or I crossed paths with him during the course of our day to day we might find him a fairly affable individual all things considered if not for the emotional void at the core of him. At the same time though, Fassbender is also the kind of actor who manages to possess a well of fury to say nothing of merciless viscerality within him that he can access with the snap of a finger and he manages to utilize that to brilliant effect here as well especially in the moments where we see him dispatching with some of the people who are hunting him. Suffice it to say it is a chillingly good turn from a talent that deserves more work like this and less like The Snowman from 2017. Besides the top-notch work done here by Fassbender, this slice of cinema also gives a fantastic turn by the always enjoyable Tilda Swinton. With that in mind however, you should know right now that her role in this is more of an extended cameo than anything. Even with that in mind though, you should also be aware that her role is very much important to the plot and of course Swinton does a phenomenal job with it as she manages to encapsulate brilliantly the distinct elements of an individual who is intelligent and a veteran at what she does, but is also someone who is also very much weary and has come to terms with the way things are done even if she’s not fully onboard with them. Indeed to say anymore about her character to say nothing of her place in the story would most assuredly occupy a spot in the “spoiler realm”, but even so it was wonderful to see her pop up in this movie all the same. Alongside the work done by Swinton, this slice of cinema also gives us a wonderful turn from the engaging Arliss Howard. Indeed, much like with Swinton, Howard doesn’t exactly have the biggest part in the world and it does take a fair bit of the movie before he makes his presence known. Even with that in mind however, there is no denying that Howard (a talent I have long admired since his turns in Full Metal Jacket, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and even an episode of the 80s itineration of The Twilight Zone) manages to make the most of this part and then some. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in wonderful efforts from such talents as Charles Parnell (Warlock from last year’s Top Gun: Maverick),Sala Baker, Sophia Charlotte, and Jack Kesy among others it’s clear that yes there should be more substance to this cast of characters, but the performances given by this undeniably skilled group of performers definitely does its best to help make up for it and then some.

All in all and at the end of the day, is The Killer a perfect shot of cinema by any stretch of the imagination? Sadly no as much as I would have loved for that to be the case given the pedigree of the talent involved both behind and in front of the camera. With that in mind however, does that make this the worst slice of cinema since Michael Fassbender was in 2017’s The Snowman and 2019’s X-Men: Dark Phoenix or David Fincher decided to helm for an audience……actually come to think I have yet to see the man direct a legitimately bad movie. Thankfully, in regards to the work done by the former, I can safely say that is not the case and in the case of the latter I can also definitely say with confidence that this is yet another winning entry in the man’s nothing short of iconic filmography. To be sure, the dialogue that we get here most assuredly could have utilized with a bit of polishing and the narrative itself isn’t really as substantial as one might expect from a slice of cinema helmed by David Fincher. Having said that however, there is also no denying that the majority of the work done by the various departments behind the camera is nothing short of incredibly executed (no pun intended) and the performances given by the immensely talented group of players in front of the camera are all fairly well-done with Michael Fassbender leading the way as the titular individual (even if you wish there was a bit more substance to their respective characters than what we are ultimately given). Suffice it to say then dear reader that The Killer might not be a spot-on cinematic bullseye, but it also most assuredly does come a heck of a lot closer to hitting that distinct mark than a lot of other similar slices of cinema before it have been able to and thus does make for an extremely engaging viewing experience when all truly is said and done. Make of that therefore what thou will dear reader. On a scale of 1-5 I give The Killer “2023” a solid 4 out of 5.