David Fincher is just one of those directors you have to pay attention to.
He has made some downright incredible films like Seven, Zodiac and The Social Network.
Despite his notoriety, I somehow did not hear about his latest film, The Killer, until I learned it was streaming on Netflix.
Once I learned about it, though, I immediately sat down to watch it and was rewarded with a film more methodical than its titular killer.
Starring Michael Fassbender as an unnamed assassin, the movie follows him after a mistake during a hit throws his life into chaos.
When this mistake puts the lives of those the Killer cares about in danger, he sets out on a mission of revenge.
Fassbender is fantastic as the Killer, with his inner thoughts reminding me a lot of Patrick Bateman from American Psycho.
However, just like Bateman, it is all to apparent how the Killer differs from his own opinion of himself, breaking his own rules multiple times and making his situation more complicated.
This crafts a character who is absolutely a terrible person but still fascinating to follow.
The rest of the cast also do a great job, with Tilda Swinton standing out as the Expert.
The way the film is shot and edited also adds to the feel of the movie, with the sound mixing being especially impressive whenever the Killer is listening to music.
Another thing which often gets brought up in reviews about this movie is one fight scene which, I will admit, is terrifically shot.
Although, while I did enjoy this action scene, it does feel a bit at odds with the rest of the movie.
Throughout its runtime, The Killer feels like it is a story which could actually happen in the real world so, when you get this big choreographed fight, it admittedly creates a bit of a disconnect.
This is only a minor criticism, anyway.
Other criticisms I have heard are that the film is too slow-paced and that the ending is pretty anticlimactic.
I was not surprised to see these takes after watching The Killer.
It is simply a movie, which will not be for everyone due to its pacing and structure.
Even I thought the ending could have had more of a punch, though I do understand why it ended the way it did.
Overall, I would say that The Killer is a solid film.
Even if it is not for everyone, it has a compelling main character and a great style, as expected of a David Fincher film.
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