There’s also the matter of Fassbender’s captivating performance as a highly confident journeyman-murderer who doesn’t exactly practice what he preaches.

More of a subtly comedic satire of assassin stories than a bona fide thriller, there’s a reason why some folks are calling this the thinking man’s answer to franchises like John Wick – though I’d argue that the truth is much more complex than that. Other than the obvious appeal of Fincher and Walker working together again, The Killer is a surprisingly engaging film in its own right. That’s why I can confidently say that this was one of the better theatrical experiences of 2023 despite technically being a made-for-TV movie. While The Killer was ultimately released as a part of Fincher’s four-year exclusive deal with Netflix, I had the pleasure of checking it out on the big screen as a part of the streaming giant’s attempts at making their films eligible for awards. He soon finds out that his girlfriend has been attacked at the behest of his employers while he was away and proceeds to meticulously track down the people responsible in a globe-trotting revenge yarn with a down-to-earth twist. In the finished film, Michael Fassbender plays an unnamed assassin who is forced to go on the run after accidentally botching a job in Paris. However, a general lack of studio interest in a story that was decidedly less action-packed than your average assassin-gone-rogue flick meant that the director would only manage to secure funding for the production in 2021. And in 2023, cinephiles were gifted with an unexpected treat when Fincher once again teamed up with Se7en writer Andrew Kevin Walker for their latest murder-focused project, The Killer.īased on a French comic-book created by Alexis ‘Matz’ Nolent and Luc Jacamon (with the source material being a much more traditional hitman yarn), The Killer was originally set to be produced in 2007 with Fincher being attached to the project from the very beginning.

One filmmaker who’s always been fascinated with the dark side of this obsession with violence is David Fincher, a music-video director turned auteur known for his perfectionist streak and stylish filmography. This isn’t exactly a surprise, as violence is one of the oldest and most easily understandable forms of human conflict, and compelling conflict is what fuels good storytelling. From heroic secret agents who don’t mind getting their hands dirty to hitmen with hearts of gold, we’ve come to accept that main characters will usually come out the other side of a story with a massive body-count.

After decades of witnessing cinematic homicide, it’s easy to get desensitized to murder on the big screen – and I’m not just talking about the horror genre.

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