After a fateful near-miss, an assassin battles his employers and himself, on an international manhunt he insists isn’t personal.
Chuck says:
Imagine Rembrandt doing a paint-by-numbers portrait or Mozart composing music for a half-hour sitcom. That’s the kind of disparity in talent and material that’s at play with David Fincher’s “The Killer.” An adaptation of the French graphic novel by Alexis Nolent and Luc Jacamon, the material simply isn’t equal to the talent of its makers. Slickly executed, this tale of an assassin on the run, while never dull, lacks surprises, treading well-worn narrative ground.
You can tell that we’re dealing with archetypes because none of the main characters have names, all of them simply referred to by the character they play. While on assignment in Germany, the Killer (Michael Fassbender) botches a job when he’s unsuccessful in terminating the Target (Endre Hules). Thinking he’s covered his tracks, he returns to his home in the Dominican Republic, only to find that his partner has been attacked in their home. Though she told them nothing, our anti-hero knows this will not be the last attempt on his or her lives, and goes on the offensive, setting out to kill those who ordered the botched hit before they get him.
Of course, he has to figure out just who ordered the hit, which takes him to the Lawyer (Charles Parnell) who’s acted as a go-between on numerous jobs. To say this guy respects the concept of lawyer-client confidentiality is an understatement. Needless to say, extreme measures are taken before the identities of the two killers (Emiliano Pernia, Gabriel Polanco), the Expert (Tilda Swinton) who planned the job and the Client (Arliss Howard) are revealed.
Per the spy movie template, none of those who need to be taken out live around the corner from one another, so a great deal of globetrotting must be done before our favorite assassin completes his “To Kill” list. As we witness him infiltrate seemingly secure locations, visit his various storage units to gear up for his work or dispatch his victims with cool efficiency, the Killer remains a mystery. At times we get a glimmer of humanity- check out the various aliases he uses- but for the most part, what we get is a man whose work has overtaken him, the requirements of the job having literally crushed his soul. Calculated throughout, we are privy to how his mind works thanks to amusingly bland voice-over narration provided by Fassbender. He constantly repeats mantras that must be followed on a job (“Never Yield an Advantage,” “Fight only the battle you’re paid to fight,” etc.) and shares his inner thoughts regarding his targets. All of this is done matter-of-factly and is at least humorous if not revelatory.
Of course, this threadbare story is nothing but a clothesline for Fincher to hang his set pieces on. A meticulous and rather cold filmmaker, in a sense this is the ideal milieu for him, and you can’t help but be impressed by just how clever the sequences of infiltration, interrogation, and annihilation are. The craftsmanship on display – from Fincher’s camera placement and movement, the icy hues created by cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt, and the razor-sharp cutting of editor Kirk Baxter – makes for a slickly rendered production that’s always engaging.
Yet, there are inconsistencies within the Killer’s personality that are troubling. While he is intent on wiping out everyone who may harm him, he lets one key player live while dispatching another who is inconsequential. This may be a trifle, but these acts define his moral code, which lacks coherence during key moments. To be sure, the dark humor throughout is the film’s saving grace, but it can’t obscure a fatal character flaw such as this, all the more glaring because this is a character study.
In the end, I was somewhat amused and impressed with “The Killer’s” execution but found the story lacking, the protagonist, muddied. I couldn’t help but feel that I had consumed a meal of empty calories, leaving me hungry for more substance. Perhaps one of the many mantras repeated in the film should have been, “Always challenge yourself and attempt to exceed expectations.” Had this been followed by Fincher and company, this might really have been something.
2.5/4.0 Stars
