“The Killer” Hits its Mark
“If you’re unable to endure boredom, this work is not for you.”
You’ve likely seen a film with a similar overall plot to the narrative of The Killer. There’s a hitman, a job goes wrong, someone he cares for is hurt, and he sets out on a manhunt after those who he feels are responsible. It’s a straightforward narrative, with only a few surprises along the way. Where The Killer soars is the characterization of the nameless killer, the film’s strange and dark sense of humor, and the incredible style and atmosphere it carries.
While this is a violent film, it is not an action movie. It puts equal emphasis on his preparing for his killings as much as the killing itself. In some ways it reminded me of the recent Hitman games from IO Interactive, where infiltrating the area and tracking the target is as important as how you decide to eliminate them. The violence is short and brutal, with the exception of a visceral fight scene that is among the best I’ve seen.
The film opens with our killer, whose name you’ll never learn, waiting in an abandoned office. He’s people watching while surveilling a penthouse through the window. He studies people eating alone at a restaurant, a child firing a toy gun at his uninterested mother, and a couple being intimate on a sofa. Narration provides insight into his nihilistic philosophy, odd sense of humor, and focus on anonymity. He is not like cool movie hitmen we may have seen elsewhere, he dresses as a dorky tourist to avoid a second glance, and eats at McDonalds and Starbucks to be one of the many. His morals are as flexible as he is. Fassbender plays him with an alien like quality, almost robotic. When remarking about how many shooting jobs he’s had recently, he wonders “When was my last nice, quiet, drowning?”
This is largely Fassbender’s show, the movie does everything it can to plant you inside The Killer’s head. The supporting cast does excellently with their screen time. Each supporting character gets a scene, and they each make the world feel believable and lived in. Tilda Swinton will be the most discussed, she may have more on screen dialogue than Fassbender has in the whole film, and makes a great contrast to his character. I was also particularly impressed by Kerry O’Malley, whose performance as Dolores adds a moral depth to the film.
The glimpses we get into The Killer’s mind are fascinating, and a key point of tension is when his mottos and philosophy contradict his actions. This is not a flaw in the writing, people are contradictory by nature, hired killers included. As he makes his way through his targets, insisting it isn’t personal, we get the impression he is struggling to believe himself. He is a very weird, compelling character; with Fincher’s direction and Fassbender’s performance, I’d watch him go grocery shopping or run other mundane errands.
David Fincher has earned a reputation of being a meticulous and methodical director, with a distinct visual flair that is often described as cold and omniscient. This film is no exception, and follows Fassbender’s character with the utmost precision. It’s disappointing this received such a limited theatrical release. The visuals are as sharp as one would expect from this team, but they really outdid themselves with the sound editing. During POV shots, we hear as he does. So when we see the through the scope while he lines up a shot and listens to The Smiths, the music comes in full through the speakers. When we see him looking through the scope, we only hear the tinny whine of the music from his earphones, and suddenly he’s just a strange man camping out in an abandoned office. That many won’t experience the movie with a high quality sound setup is a sadness.
The narrative may leave some viewers disappointed, especially considering the weight of Fincher’s other films, like Zodiac, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, or Gone Girl. It’s a pulpy genre thriller. In a recent interview with The Guardian, Fincher described the film as “like a good B movie,” and discusses not wanting to take it so seriously. The result is an exhilarating, oddly funny, exercise in style and character. I saw it roughly two weeks ago, and it’s occupied a corner of my mind since. I can’t wait to watch it again. It won’t be for everyone; it is certainly for me.
