David Fincher – THE REVIEW MONSTER

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.

*The Killer* is another solid film from Fincher.

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.

It is interesting to see how ths killer’s mind works.

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.

Although the way the movie ends is in line with the story Fincher is telling, it does feel like a bit of a let-down, compared to what came before.

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.

I loved the first season of Mindhunter.
Created by Joe Penhall, and with many episodes directed by David Fincher, The Netflix series hooked me right off with its disturbingly realistic portrayal of actual serial killers.
I was eagerly anticipating the second season, and we finally got it now, two years later.
The second season picks up with Holden Ford (Jonathon Groff) recovering from his encounter with Ed Kemper (Cameron Britton) at the end of the first season.
After getting released from a mental hospital by Bill Tench (Holt McCallany), Holden meets back up with the team, consisting of Tench, Wendy Carr (Anna Torv) and Gregg Smith (Joe Tuttle), in their studies of serial killers.
What follows is a season that sees the characters interviewing a wide ranger of terrifying murderers, like David Berkowitz (Oliver Cooper), and those who manipulate others to kill, like Charles Manson (Damon Herriman).

Many of the killers interviewed look just like they do in real life, with Manson and Berkowitz looking particularly true to life.

Most terrifying of all are the investigations into the BTK killer, Dennis Rader (Sonny Valicenti), and the Atlanta child murders, which eventually becomes the main focus of the season.
Just like the first season, what makes Mindhunter season two so scary is its horrifying realism.
Again, no murders are shown but the aftermath of these crimes, and the way they are explained by both the killers and surviving victims is horrifying.
This leads to one particularly disturbing scene when Tench is interviewing Kevin Bright (Andrew Yackel) a survivor of the BTK killer.
The way this scene is shot is so particular, the acting from Yackel so tragic, and the sound design so unnerving, that is makes the scene horrifying to watch, even though no violence is taking place.

The interview scene with BTK survivor David Bright is probably one of the most chilling scenes in *Mindhunter* season two.

It is particularly disheartening to hear Tench make assumptions about BTK, only for us to know he is completely wrong, meaning they are further away from stopping him.
Speaking of Tench, he has the best story this season, with a tragic family event that makes his interactions with the killers even more personal.
A scene where a confrontation takes place between Tench and Manson is particularly illuminating to Tench’s character.
It is not all great, though, because compared to last season Mindhunter season two does fall short.
There are quite a few plot lines that are dropped like Ford’s panic attacks, which are quickly forgotten about, and the cat Carr was feeding last season, which is oddly left out of entirely.

The first episode acts like Holden’s panic attacks are going to be a major plot line only for them to be dropped pretty quickly.

As for Carr, herself, she does not have much of a role in the back-half of the season, and a romance storyline she has feels a bit too similar to Ford’s relationship from the previous season as well.
However, these problems do not diminish how great Mindhunter is.
It is still a creepy show, with great fictional characters and terrifying real killers.
I am already looking forward to season three.

Tag: David Fincher

The Killer Review: Another Solid Fincher Film.

Mindhunter Season Two Review: The Terror Continues.