Venice 2023 review: ‘The Killer’ – David Fincher’s nihilistic thriller hits its mark

Ah, Michael Fassbender… How we’ve missed you.

After a four year absence, the actor returns as an un-named, icy and methodical hitman whose “I. Don’t. Give. A. Fuck.” worldview is about to be challenged.

We’re privy to his inner monologues on the realities of the assassin profession: boredom, amorality, how scepticism is often mistaken for cynicism, the merits of dressing up like a German tourist (“No one really wants to interact with a German tourist”) and the cornerstone of civilisation – the few exploiting the many.

Sounds like a lot, but when a high-profile Parisian job goes south and our protagonist has to deal with the violent fallout of his failure, The Killer becomes a rather straight-forward, knowing, and far more verbose riff on Jean-Pierre Melville’s 1967 crime classic Le Samourai. Out goes the no-fucks-given stance and the repeated mantra about only fighting the battles you’re paid to fight, in favour of a new motto: WWJWBD.

What Would John Wilkes Booth Do?

Based on Alexis “Matz” Nolent and Luc Jacamon’s French comics from the late 90s, The Killer is a nihilist action thriller structured around six chapters and an epilogue. We move from Paris to the Dominican Republic, New Orleans to New York and finally Chicago, watching our nameless assassin on a journey of vengeance leading him to whoever is pulling the retribution strings. Think John Wick minus the pooch motivation and an added penchant for the tunes of The Smiths.

Director David Fincher reunites with some of his usual suspects: Se7en scribe Andrew Dean Walker, his Mank cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt, as well as Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross on scoring duties.

The results are predictably moody, slick and precise. As the poster tells us: “Execution is everything”; and when it comes to an exacting style, Fincher is unparalleled. 

Of particular note is the deadpan humour throughout Walker’s script, which delivers some terrific one-liners (“New Orleans – a thousand restaurants, one menu”), as well as a show-stopping scene between Fassbender and Tilda Swinton, who have a weighty and sophisticated (mostly one way) conversation punctuated with a masterfully delivered joke. There’s also a fight sequence where a cheeky weapon gag works wonders. 

It also helps that not since The Bourne Ultimatum has a violent donnybrook felt so punishing.

The Killer will initially seem by-the-numbers. It’s true that it doesn’t deviate from a lot of conventional trappings when it comes to the vengeful rampage thriller subgenre. However, this feels like a deliberate move on Fincher’s behalf. The epilogue in particular – no matter how unnecessary it may feel – has a subverting effect that makes us re-evaluate what we expect from a revenge narrative.

So, while Fincher’s latest may not be up there with Zodiac or Se7en, it’s deadly, and sits nicely alongside The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo – and could, given time, gain the same cult status as Fight Club. 

The Killer screened in Competition at the Venice Film Festival. It is released in October in US and UK cinemas and hits Netflix on 10 November.