Der Killer

Es ist einfach faszinierend, bösartig unterhaltsam. Einen elitären Superkiller zu beobachten, der sich in den ersten fünfzehn Minuten selbst lobt, dann einen schrecklichen Fehler macht, aber nie an sich selbst zweifelt. Auch wenn es immer offensichtlicher wird, dass dieser Fehler bei weitem nicht der letzte und eigentlich auch nicht der erste war. David Fincher hat sich erlaubt, eine beeindruckende zweistündige Ode an das Ego zu drehen. Ich werde mir den Film noch mehrere Male anschauen. Ich bin mir sicher, dass dann Kleinigkeiten im Stil „das hätte ein Profi-Killer in einem anderen Film wohl nicht gemacht“ hinzukommen werden, die mir beim ersten Mal nicht aufgefallen sind. (16.11.2023)

David Fincher hat mich wieder nicht enttäuscht. Nach dem anspruchsvollen Film Mank kommt eine schwungvolle Geschichte über einen Mann, der am meisten durch seine innere Stimme spricht. Natürlich hat mich zu Beginn die Darstellung des morgendlichen Paris erfreut, das haben die Filmemacher hervorragend dargestellt. Und dann geht es los, ich habe mich keine Sekunde gelangweilt und habe mich vielleicht auf das ungewöhnliche und seltsame Ende gefreut. Der abgemagerte Michael Fassbender hat mir Freude gemacht, er hat eine weitere anspruchsvolle Rolle hervorragend gemeistert. (21.11.2023)

A weaker moment for David Fincher. The trailer touted an attractive thriller about a hitman, which seemed to be his strongest point, but the result is not very satisfying. The first half hour is excellent, as we watch Michael Fassbender in an apartment preparing to shoot someone with a sniper rifle. I liked the attention to detail, his preparation and the excellent monologues, which consisted of various statistics and philosophising, I that enjoyed a lot (too bad the whole film wasn't in this style), but then it takes a bit of a turn and starts to fall rather flat. The second half in particular is already quite contrived. I was kind of hoping that Fincher would focus on the hitman style, that we'd be watching a professional assassin going from target to target and various forms of defusing with high attention to detail, but this another personal revenge that doesn't stand out from the competition in anything interesting, and Fincher's signature isn't very recognizable. Fassbender's acting is good, likewise of course with the craftsmanship, but plot-wise it doesn't have any balls, there's not much action either, no satisfying twist (at least the fight in the apartment had balls, it was pleasantly gritty, with great cinematography and interestingly shot, it was very palpable, it was the highlight of the film for me), the ending is completely devoid of zest. Shame, the potential here was definitely higher. 6/10. (16.11.2023)

Perhaps Fincher's most meditative film to date, the music calmly throbs throughout, like Fassbender's assassin at the beginning, patiently waiting for his shot, mindful of his heartbeat and, like almost the entire film, going nowhere, repeating to himself with obsessive care, "Stick to the plan.... don't improvise." And that's exactly what Fincher does, thoughtfully, with the precision of a Swiss watchmaker, layering one carefully composed scene after another, and seemingly, unwittingly, imprinting himself on Fassbender's character as well. Early on, after a botched murder, the man in question thinks "Fuck, this is the first time" and I could see Fincher having similar thoughts flying through his head after the mixed reception of Mank. And it's as if they were both chasing perfection, where failure is unforgivable. Something was missing in the rating and Fincher was not to blame. Perhaps I was expecting something more thought-provoking from Walker's script (8MM remains unbeaten), perhaps a better ending and not the shallow point at the end, including the few idyllic shots that are really flat. Anyway, precise Fincher ..... precise Fincher is back!, just the way we like it. Only that Andrew K. Walker guy picked a weaker moment. (10.11.2023)

No one is special. We are all mere aberrations, but otherwise we are all basically the same. Fincher's philosophizing assassin explains the importance of overcoming boredom and the benefits of diligence. I've never seen a more relaxed and serene opening. It's a balm to the soul and a throwback to the early days of Dexter. Fake smiles, at McDonald's or at an airport counter, Fassbender's emphasis on minimalist, spare and slow speech and a thoughtful, planned out life that goes out of whack at one key moment. Andrew Kevin Walker adapts a comic book about method and the importance of staying on top of things. Fincher chooses to repeat the rules, but they're often broken, to emphasize the hero's inner turmoil, but it doesn't affect his effectiveness. A melancholy quest for revenge seems to be the opposite of John Wick, yet it offers one of the most intense fights between two very different killers, supported by Reznor’s and Ross' restrained (as usual) soundtrack. Emotionless, yet absolutely precisely realised. It is the absence of emotion or some unexpected finesse that prevents The Killer from being anything more than a precise and cool study of people who simply, don't give a... Fuck! (11.11.2023)