I've always been fascinated by how Fincher managed to make his movies feel cold and calculated without losing engagement so I think this movie would be right up my alley
From my perspective, the opening of the movie foreshadowed the ending. You got his mantra/routine, but he also said he was bored and wanted to go back to having more creativity. Then we saw that with every encounter during the last half of the film, along with the fact that you can see he's fighting that mantra, and going against that routine, especially the empathy side of it, which finally gets the better of him at the very end. It wasn't Social Network, but still a very interesting film
I'll definitely have no trouble re-watching this movie multiple times. The pacing and the tone seem to be the main thing that Fincher took from the comic book.
The twitch at the end may also imply that somewhere along the path of revenge - most likely from sharing a drink with The Expert, he ingested a chemical that would lead to facial necrosis, and his slow death. This was foreshadowed throughout the film, even showing a coffee being made at the end- just after threatening Claymore with killing him in that same manner. Great detail.
I've been enjoying Fincher's works with Death Love and Robots, but I've been craving a Fincher live action thriller for a while. Happy to see him work with Reznor again. Thanks for the vlog.
I enjoy inner monologue deep dives of emotionally distant unreliable narrators like this. Taxi Driver, American Psycho, Fight Club (to a degree), and, now, The Killer.
@captainhaddock6435 Hit Man. About a guy who fakes being a hit man online to catch people for the police, or something to that effect. It's funny how Fincher and Linklater both approach an assassin movie lol
I think what Fincher was trying to portray was a character with 2 layers. The want to be "Zen like" perfectionist living by mantras and codes and yet underneath is a person, who is just a normal (aside from beign an assassin) person who is moved /affected by the same things we all are. He says never improvise but ends up improvising, he says have no empathy yet he connects, he says it's not personal, just a job and yet in the end he has a lover and the totally unnecessary revenge makes it personal. I don't believe these aspects are in conflict, but they are in out of synch waves and occassionally one surfaces over the other. I did go in expecting a Fincher liek Wick but i am happier that I got what a I got. Not a great Fincher but it left me with a lot to think about afterwards.
The ending was attached to the dinner joke, in my opinion.. as a hunter he intends to efficiently kill, and that is his purpose, but when he fails in ways that don't make sense and fate is showing him the consequences, is he subconsciously searching for a different purpose that he's failing to acknowledge. Also, I don't see this character having a committed relationship etc as being out of character, I'd say the reason he has this on-the-job mantra is to ensure he stays focused and isolated from his natural tendency to stray. He's not saying empathy is weakness to himself because he lacks empathy, but that he recognises that is his weakness, and left unchecked it is not compatible with his profession. You don't have a mantra to stay who you are, you have a mantra to modify a default.
The ending was 100% in character. It was even foreshadowed earlier in the movie when he was talking about the "net worth" of the mark. It would have been out of character for him to give in to the cliche' and go in the other direction.
It’s intriguing because everything is where it should be - Fincher directs it with panache, Fassbender is hypnotic, Reznor and Ross’s score is, once again, impeccable... but there’s no dramatic tension in the movie to speak of. None. As an audiovisual piece of media, it’s marvelous. As a dramatic work, it’s a failure.
Agreed. My friend put it pretty simply: the scenes are badass and engaging to watch, but I couldn't care less about what is happening to these people or The Killers motivations.
Just saw it. This felt like Gone Girl meets a really dramatic Kill Bill. I read the comic and wasn't too too surprised, but I was kind of surprised. I need to see it again, but I liked it.
I got nice and toasty before this movie and I just took it as comedic that every time he said his little mantras they were about to be destroyed, even being interrupted at one point to prove the point that sometimes it just doesn't go the way you planned, no matter how much planning. Though I do enjoy the idea of it being a subconscious need for creativity and spontaneity.
Saw it in the cinema yesterday. I found it to be a solid movie, with a spectacular Fassbender. However when the Epilogue and end credits came I was like “Oh… Ok.” I expected a more intense climax. It is not Fincher’s best, but a good action thriller.
I believe Fassbender's character refrained from executing his last target because he was certain the guy would have no way to track him down. Of course, his target has now seen his face, but I don't think that would have helped much.
This is the only movie that i kept thinking about after watching this year. He has to make that decision if he wants to work again in the end.loved it.
this is one of the movies for me that having read the source material made watching the film feel so much more rewarding.. it's been a long while since i've read it but as i remember the character, he really was just a guy. his code wasn't that much of a defining characteristic as reminding himself about his code was. i think that ending could have either been seeing the client more as a harmless idiot or a cruel scare to haunt the man forever.. or both..
As I see it, the killer is a movie about life in general. We wake up in the morning, we are going to work, and we are not enjoying life or whatever we do. We have no friends, it's all business, and by the end of the movie (spoilers ahead) when the killer is in the house of the rich person he is standing in front of a financial show on tv, and explaining how it's all have been a "clean up", like a very simple and cold thing, and the killer choose to go on with this kind of empty life and he says it in the final scene. I think it's a movie about how work, and routine kills our joy of life, and our empathy to others, and also the scene in the restaurant shows how the other killer said that she would've had more ice cream if she knew what is coming, and the lady in the office wanted that her death would be profitable for her family. So for me, this movie is about what do we want from life? To be souls corporate machines that their only purpose is making money, or have fun and enjoy the moment and appreciate the people around us.
Maybe im crazy but this movie is the definition of conventional hitman revenge story imo. Its a fine movie dont get me wrong but could've been made by anyone tbh I didn't get the finchers moneys worth if that makes sense.
You may be unfinished. Plus, your catching up to 'The Killer' by Martz and Luc Jacamon will show you the parts of the Graphic Novel (or was it entirely Fincher, mmmm? Okay, sorry, it's mainly the comic.) It's a great translation. The GN has more than the movie covers, so you can answer those last few questions for yourself.
I got to see this in Venice when it premiered and as soon as the trailer dropped I was worried that it would set the wrong expectations for this film. I feel the same about Ferrari which also feels way more thrill and action heavy than the actual movie is. But also not sure how you'd cut a trailer for this specific film better. It's a tricky one
You can compare hitman with john wick but the Killer is way more deeper than just pewpew , its not in the same branch... is like comparing Lotr with Willow
You don't see the strong dark comedy stroke here? I would say that there is a strong, almost parodic stroke here. The character is not half as good as he thinks and way more crazy. It is a pretty good movie, but for a director of Fincher's caliber (knowing what he is able to do), I think it is quite a disappointment
I liked it, but some pseudo - intellects are reading way too much into it. I had a problem with the killer using 60s sitcom names on his credit cards and passports. In real life that would draw way too much attention to himself at some point. Also, that never ending fight scene ? Anyone who's been in a fight will tell you that they're over in 10 to 20 seconds
Sorry! but the film is a misfire and endlessly boring. It gave me what I was expecting, though inwardly, was hoping it would surprise. It has many areas that lack credibility. The opening we see him over a period of hours or days watching from an open window across a Paris street and then later has a portable light source which is switched on and lights him up as making him easily seen especially with that giant gun but maybe that was done to show how he didn't care but then that would mean he wasn't meticulous which of course he was. I saw this on Netflix and was amazed I got to see it for free but by the mid-way point I was moving the scenes on at a better pace and removed as many of the violence as possible as it's not my thing and always too easy a target for writers and directors. I like to see more invention. It doesn't even look as good as Fincher's previous films; too much of it is conventional which wouldn't have been Fincher early in his career. Claudio Miranda would have been more creative behind the camera. This is the fourth Fincher film in a row that bored me; he really should be a director of photography more than a director!
I've always been fascinated by how Fincher managed to make his movies feel cold and calculated without losing engagement so I think this movie would be right up my alley
You might find this goes too far though, I think there's a narrative coldness to this which is almost a middle finger to the audience
From my perspective, the opening of the movie foreshadowed the ending. You got his mantra/routine, but he also said he was bored and wanted to go back to having more creativity. Then we saw that with every encounter during the last half of the film, along with the fact that you can see he's fighting that mantra, and going against that routine, especially the empathy side of it, which finally gets the better of him at the very end. It wasn't Social Network, but still a very interesting film
I'll definitely have no trouble re-watching this movie multiple times. The pacing and the tone seem to be the main thing that Fincher took from the comic book.
The twitch at the end may also imply that somewhere along the path of revenge - most likely from sharing a drink with The Expert, he ingested a chemical that would lead to facial necrosis, and his slow death. This was foreshadowed throughout the film, even showing a coffee being made at the end- just after threatening Claymore with killing him in that same manner. Great detail.
I've been enjoying Fincher's works with Death Love and Robots, but I've been craving a Fincher live action thriller for a while. Happy to see him work with Reznor again. Thanks for the vlog.
I enjoy inner monologue deep dives of emotionally distant unreliable narrators like this. Taxi Driver, American Psycho, Fight Club (to a degree), and, now, The Killer.
You would absolutely love Dexter.
Glad you liked it. I really enjoyed it and agree it wasn’t what I expected, but it kept me gripped and Fassbender is just fantastic.
David Fincher and Richard Linklater are some of my favorite filmmakers of all time. I'm curious how they both handle a somewhat similar concept.
@@CRM-114 "Somewhat" similar concept. Meaning, the fact that they both relate to the realm of professional assassins. Plot? Yes, entirely different.
@@TheLongestTake What movie by Linklater are you talking about?
@captainhaddock6435 Hit Man. About a guy who fakes being a hit man online to catch people for the police, or something to that effect. It's funny how Fincher and Linklater both approach an assassin movie lol
I think what Fincher was trying to portray was a character with 2 layers. The want to be "Zen like" perfectionist living by mantras and codes and yet underneath is a person, who is just a normal (aside from beign an assassin) person who is moved /affected by the same things we all are. He says never improvise but ends up improvising, he says have no empathy yet he connects, he says it's not personal, just a job and yet in the end he has a lover and the totally unnecessary revenge makes it personal. I don't believe these aspects are in conflict, but they are in out of synch waves and occassionally one surfaces over the other.
I did go in expecting a Fincher liek Wick but i am happier that I got what a I got. Not a great Fincher but it left me with a lot to think about afterwards.
I am totally with you here. It runs with my interpretation of it.
The ending was attached to the dinner joke, in my opinion.. as a hunter he intends to efficiently kill, and that is his purpose, but when he fails in ways that don't make sense and fate is showing him the consequences, is he subconsciously searching for a different purpose that he's failing to acknowledge.
Also, I don't see this character having a committed relationship etc as being out of character, I'd say the reason he has this on-the-job mantra is to ensure he stays focused and isolated from his natural tendency to stray. He's not saying empathy is weakness to himself because he lacks empathy, but that he recognises that is his weakness, and left unchecked it is not compatible with his profession. You don't have a mantra to stay who you are, you have a mantra to modify a default.
Fincher is so fucking back
The ending was 100% in character. It was even foreshadowed earlier in the movie when he was talking about the "net worth" of the mark. It would have been out of character for him to give in to the cliche' and go in the other direction.
It’s intriguing because everything is where it should be - Fincher directs it with panache, Fassbender is hypnotic, Reznor and Ross’s score is, once again, impeccable... but there’s no dramatic tension in the movie to speak of. None. As an audiovisual piece of media, it’s marvelous. As a dramatic work, it’s a failure.
Agreed. My friend put it pretty simply: the scenes are badass and engaging to watch, but I couldn't care less about what is happening to these people or The Killers motivations.
Just saw it. This felt like Gone Girl meets a really dramatic Kill Bill. I read the comic and wasn't too too surprised, but I was kind of surprised. I need to see it again, but I liked it.
Jonathan from TheFilmDrunk is the type of guy that when cops pulls him over he issues them tickets
Great review
I got nice and toasty before this movie and I just took it as comedic that every time he said his little mantras they were about to be destroyed, even being interrupted at one point to prove the point that sometimes it just doesn't go the way you planned, no matter how much planning. Though I do enjoy the idea of it being a subconscious need for creativity and spontaneity.
The best sound work I've ever hear.
I think it's a masterpiece, this is the hitman video game movie I've always wanted
The Pilot for The Killer was awesome. Can't wait for the series to be released.
Saw it in the cinema yesterday. I found it to be a solid movie, with a spectacular Fassbender.
However when the Epilogue and end credits came I was like “Oh… Ok.” I expected a more intense climax.
It is not Fincher’s best, but a good action thriller.
I believe Fassbender's character refrained from executing his last target because he was certain the guy would have no way to track him down. Of course, his target has now seen his face, but I don't think that would have helped much.
This is the only movie that i kept thinking about after watching this year. He has to make that decision if he wants to work again in the end.loved it.
Can someone explain their interpretation of the ending? Particularly the monologue.
this is one of the movies for me that having read the source material made watching the film feel so much more rewarding..
it's been a long while since i've read it but as i remember the character, he really was just a guy. his code wasn't that much of a defining characteristic as reminding himself about his code was.
i think that ending could have either been seeing the client more as a harmless idiot or a cruel scare to haunt the man forever.. or both..
As I see it, the killer is a movie about life in general.
We wake up in the morning, we are going to work, and we are not enjoying life or whatever we do.
We have no friends, it's all business, and by the end of the movie (spoilers ahead) when the killer is in the house of the rich person he is standing in front of a financial show on tv, and explaining how it's all have been a "clean up", like a very simple and cold thing, and the killer choose to go on with this kind of empty life and he says it in the final scene.
I think it's a movie about how work, and routine kills our joy of life, and our empathy to others, and also the scene in the restaurant shows how the other killer said that she would've had more ice cream if she knew what is coming, and the lady in the office wanted that her death would be profitable for her family.
So for me, this movie is about what do we want from life? To be souls corporate machines that their only purpose is making money, or have fun and enjoy the moment and appreciate the people around us.
Fincher never left!!
Maybe im crazy but this movie is the definition of conventional hitman revenge story imo. Its a fine movie dont get me wrong but could've been made by anyone tbh I didn't get the finchers moneys worth if that makes sense.
It wasn't what I expected either. I expected a good movie.
Fincher is easily one of the best directors ever for me and your review was the first to speak to me as a true Fincher Fan if that makes sense😂
You may be unfinished. Plus, your catching up to 'The Killer' by Martz and Luc Jacamon will show you the parts of the Graphic Novel (or was it entirely Fincher, mmmm? Okay, sorry, it's mainly the comic.)
It's a great translation. The GN has more than the movie covers, so you can answer those last few questions for yourself.
I got to see this in Venice when it premiered and as soon as the trailer dropped I was worried that it would set the wrong expectations for this film. I feel the same about Ferrari which also feels way more thrill and action heavy than the actual movie is. But also not sure how you'd cut a trailer for this specific film better. It's a tricky one
This movie is my autobiography, take that with which you will
Should I see this one in cinemas or wait for Netflix?
Fincher's endings always feel so weird and sometimes rushed to me
gone girl ending pissed me off
I really loved this movi.. interesting concept
So, the Killer or Hitman?
I think they are very different from each other but for me the killer is better
You can compare hitman with john wick but the Killer is way more deeper than just pewpew , its not in the same branch... is like comparing Lotr with Willow
I love it cause it's the hitman movie I never got
You don't see the strong dark comedy stroke here? I would say that there is a strong, almost parodic stroke here. The character is not half as good as he thinks and way more crazy. It is a pretty good movie, but for a director of Fincher's caliber (knowing what he is able to do), I think it is quite a disappointment
Funny ending 😂😂
I liked it, but some pseudo - intellects are reading way too much into it. I had a problem with the killer using 60s sitcom names on his credit cards and passports. In real life that would draw way too much attention to himself at some point. Also, that never ending fight scene ? Anyone who's been in a fight will tell you that they're over in 10 to 20 seconds
Extremely boring movie
Sorry! but the film is a misfire and endlessly boring. It gave me what I was expecting, though inwardly, was hoping it would surprise. It has many areas that lack credibility. The opening we see him over a period of hours or days watching from an open window across a Paris street and then later has a portable light source which is switched on and lights him up as making him easily seen especially with that giant gun but maybe that was done to show how he didn't care but then that would mean he wasn't meticulous which of course he was. I saw this on Netflix and was amazed I got to see it for free but by the mid-way point I was moving the scenes on at a better pace and removed as many of the violence as possible as it's not my thing and always too easy a target for writers and directors. I like to see more invention. It doesn't even look as good as Fincher's previous films; too much of it is conventional which wouldn't have been Fincher early in his career. Claudio Miranda would have been more creative behind the camera. This is the fourth Fincher film in a row that bored me; he really should be a director of photography more than a director!
Saw it yesterday. Was fucking incredible.
With any film, it’s best to go not expecting anything and just letting it wash over you. You’re welcome