David Fincher is well known for some of the great thrillers such as Seven, Zodiac, The Game, and the more recent Gone Girl. He even directed the series Mindhunter that lasted for two seasons. But, more often, he is quoted for directing the movie Fight Club which is one of the better psychological thrillers that we have seen over the years. The list is long enough to not fit our discussion. His method and style is unique and whether we like it or not, all his movies tend to creep into the psyche of the characters. His latest movie The Killer is based on a French graphic story with the same name and is no different.

The story is about an unnamed character The Killer played by Michael Fassbender. In the beginning, the movie might appear about a man who is talking too much without showing or revealing anything to the audience. Contrary to the famous saying “Much ado about nothing”, the movie bounces back with thrill and action. The best thing with David Fincher’s direction is that we don’t need to see a high adrenaline action to believe in the skills of a contract killer. The slow settling pace of the movie with a decent narration was enough to make us believe in The Killer. 

Though his Paris job came out to be unsuccessful, the focus of the story shifts towards his skill of getting out of that incomplete mess. On his way back to his hideout in the Dominican Republic, he discovers that his girlfriend was punished by the contractor for not completing his Paris job. The story becomes more interesting when he decides to take revenge from those other contract killers who were hired and were responsible for his girlfriend’s torture and abuse.

The fight sequences are light and are depicted in a way that appears more human. He was not only vulnerable in the fight sequences but was almost caught off guard. His patience and meticulous timing was always his strength and while we couldn’t believe in that during the beginning of the movie, it was brought right to our faces to actually witness that. That itself says a lot about the kind of direction David Fincher portrays.

One thing that was prominent in the movie was when a character starts speaking too much in front of the protagonist, he just shuts them up without showing any empathy. His motto “Empathy is weakness” is indeed correct as often misunderstanding this leads to diversion in the plot of the movie. This makes the script very tight and stick to the basics without flinching a bit.

The acting done by Michael Fassbender is very straight and true to the character and whatever emotions the character has is only meant for his girlfriend and no one else. If you’re happy watching an action thriller which has an inclination towards a character more than the story, then do give this movie a try.