The Killer

Venice Film Festival #16 – PalaBiennale

Sadly, I was let down by the newest Fincher. The Killer follows Michael Fassbender who goes on a revenge killing spree. That is the plot. That’s exactly what happens. Usually, I’ve become accustomed to expecting a twist in a Fincher film, or at least the plot being a main part of his films. The Killer is not this at all, it’s a very simple story and it plays out exactly how you expect it to with no surprises. There is nothing wrong with this inherently, films are allowed to play around with structure and narrative and there are many films I enjoy which lack a plot, but there is a lack of meat in the film as well as it being lacking in its story.

The film he has made however is executed to perfection. So much of the film is just so perfect. The editing for starters is flawless, the cinematography is inspired and brings you into his world so effortlessly, the colour palate is so dark and adds to the underground world he exists in. What really blew me away was the violence, it was visceral in a way many films don’t achieve. In particular there’s a fight scene which may be among the best fight scenes I’ve ever seen. It feels so tactile, it actually feels real. It’s the incredible choreography, the filming, the sheer flip between his methodical kills and the fight scenes and the wonderful sound design that all adds to making the scene so incredible.

Performances are all amazing, we spend the majority of the film with Michael Fassbender and in his mind, he has little dialogue it is all voice over. This kind of didn’t work for me, his personality is strange in his brain, he makes little jokes and comments a lot on his work. It worked but then it keeps going and no depth is added to his character despite being in his brain for the whole film, what happens is you leave the film feeling very seldom for Fassbender, and with so much voiceover very quickly I found it very overbearing. The standout of the film is Tilda Swinton, she’s literally in the film for a scene and she eats it up. I wonder if it worked as well as it does for me as it is a scene in which an actual conversation happens.

For all of its strengths, it's missing something which prevents it from being an amazing film