The Killer Trailer Teases David Fincher's Lean, Mean Take On The Hitman Movie
Who doesn't love David Fincher? I did not love "Mank." But I still love David Fincher, and I know you do too. However you feel about that last feature, it's been a while since Fincher had a real consensus banger, and that's the kind of film he's known for. Viewers loved his Netflix series "Mindhunter" (/Film's Valerie Ettenhofer called it "a pristine, pitch-black study of obsession"), but hey, that's television, and Fincher only directed seven out of 19 episodes. Could "The Killer" slingshot Fincher back to the top of the American auteur pyramid, knocking the likes of Paul Thomas Anderson, Steven Soderbergh, Gina Prince-Bythewood, or any of his other Gen X competitors off the top spot?
That remains to be seen. But we do have a new trailer for the film, a follow-up of the trailer Netflix released way back at the end of August. There have been more developments than the mere release of a second trailer since then, too. People have seen the movie. Following the premiere of "The Killer" at the 2023 Venice International Film Festival, we wrote an entire piece rounding up the very best and most mid (there really wasn't any bad) criticism of the film. In his review, /Film's chief critic Chris Evangelista wrote that, "In anyone else's hands, 'The Killer' would be disposable, but Fincher being Fincher, manages to squeeze plenty of life out of this rather simple story."
You can see for yourself in the trailer above.
Clear eyes, loaded gun, can't lose
"The Killer" reteams Fincher with Andrew Kevin Walker, the screenwriter behind "Se7en." Fans are likely excited about the collaboration — "Se7en" marked the moment that David Fincher truly arrived as a director at the height of his magisterial powers. Walker hasn't done much of note since "Se7en" wrapped, though. He wrote the screenplay for Tim Burton's sumptuous "Sleepy Hollow" and has otherwise been working on shorts and low-profile studio fare, like Joe Johnston's "The Wolfman" and the animated feature "Nerdman." Walker adapted the screenplay from the book by Luc Jacamon and Alexis "Matz" Nolent.
The cast is intriguing, with Michael Fassbender in the lead role and Tilda Swinton with a plum supporting turn. They aren't the intriguing part, though, that's everyone else — Arliss Howard as a character mysteriously called "The Client," the Brazilian actress Sophie Charlotte Wolf da Silva makes her English language debut, and prolific TV actor Charles Parnell will play "The Lawyer." Fincher seems to be cooking up something interesting here.
If all this isn't enough to intrigue you, the film is about a hitman. Sexy, mysterious Michael Fassbender slinks around with a giant gun, wiping away every trace of his presence as he goes. What more could you ask for?
"The Killer" premieres in select theaters today, prior to hitting Netflix on November 10, 2023.