The Killer (2023)★ 6.7/10

all the credit goes to the super-high production value -it's unique but not as enjoyable as I imagined—home Netflix with Tom.

A strictly functional film that's focused on itself rather than the audience. However, the "convenience" of functionality inevitably leads to the hollowness of "shortcuts". As the professional killer skillfully closes in on his target through the subconsciousness of the logistics system, the movie also achieves its narrative goals through its masterful "convenience". From the 3D-modeled scenes to the protagonist's adept use of the shared platform network, in a way, everything about David Fincher seems to have reached its endpoint.

"The Killer" isn't quite like a David Fincher film. The style and content are pretty consistent, and it's rather unorthodox in general. The story progresses with a combination of inner monologue and efficient storytelling, and with a touch of dark humor, the film portrays the loneliness of the 'assassin' profession. The fight scene might be one of the better fight scenes I've seen in recent years. The heavy use of zoom shots is a trademark of David Fincher’s, and I like the overall lighting and color tone as well. The combination of inner monologues and sound effects for inner turmoil works really well. That scene in the house is reminiscent of Dario Argento, and I don’t like it. The structured format is as my friend described, very “video game-like”.

This might be the coolest crime movie since “Drive”, and it totally fits the definition of 'cool' in this digital age. It's also an unadulterated movie, focusing on a single image, object, or movement. The Killer has the best action scenes, and the audiovisual language is on an elemental level. Repeated actions across different scenes and contexts illustrate continuous resistance and infiltration; it's a game of clues and agents. It's only in David Fincher’s films can such rational, precise professionalism at work, and such detailed, meticulous breakdown of actions be seen. As an actor, Michael Fassbender's mental discipline (willpower) and huge physicality commitment make him, to a large extent, one of the perfect actors of any era. If it weren't for all the unnecessary inner monologues, I'd give it a perfect 10 without hesitation.

This movie's understanding of subverting genres is stuck in a basic phase of "less talking, more thinking”. The bigger error is treating subversion as its own genre and obsessing over refining elements, patterns, and style to compensate, as if trying to get perfect answers for a test. Also, Tilda Swinton is underutilized in this film with the cheesy and clichéd appropriation of her image.

3.5/10. The killer who utilizes modern internet and IoT systems to kill seems to take on a metaphorical sense when examining the isolated lives of modern people. The story takes an unexpected turn towards the end. Rather than calling it a movie, it feels more like a chaptered first-person video game, something like "Hitman: Agent 47”. Ok...I think I've rambled a bit too much, but I do consider this film one of Fincher's better works.

Many auteurs often set aside their "labels" and change their mindsets when reaching a certain age. David Fincher has ditched his usual style, opting to slow down and immerse himself in the aesthetics of the thriller genre. The story itself is quite simple, but the structure, the emotions, and the pacing are all meticulously handled. The cinematography and sound design are commendable as well, as the exciting audiovisual language kept me focused on the development of the story. The deliberate intertwining of the killer's thought processes and his dialogues with other characters clearly reflects the careful considerations of the auteur in adopting such a way of storytelling.

In terms of audiovisual techniques, David Fincher's approach in this film is similar to "Afire”, directed by Christian Petzold. The audience's focus is often deliberately guided to points of interest, and the lenses serve as the killer's point of view, complemented by voiceovers, to meticulously showcase the killer's daily work routine and internal monologue. The killer follows a strict routine, guided by his own rules. In Fincher's previous films, the protagonists would always lose control when their humanities are tested, but this has changed in this film. The killer surprisingly remains in control, and the plot unfolds without unexpected twists. After a mission goes awry, he simply cleans up the mess.

The much-criticized first 20 minutes actually represent David Fincher's most confident and masterful techniques: a myriad of varying perspectives, almost all of them deliberately "pointless”, constructing a fictional space in time in which the audience is put into the shoes of the killer. Unfortunately, David Fincher's films always become just like any other ones on the market once this immersive narrative transits into a more conventional linear storytelling.

Less is not more. This is a significant step backward from David Fincher's work from the previous decade. The pervasive voiceovers serve only to emphasize the comic-book style narrative, while the story progression feels more like a failed minimalistic experiment. The emphasis on the kind of visual fidelity akin to "Drive" and "The House That Jack Built" places the entire film in a limbo between an Eastern Wuxia sort of "zen" and an anxiety-inducing Western existential crisis. The shallow script fails to provide any substance behind the characters or the story. If there's anything that truly impressed me, it's the sound design. However, its impact is weakened by the lavish visuals, lighting, and cinematography.

I don't know how those who don't like this movie can be happy about the movie!