As a hired killer, Michael Fassbender is chilling in a story that lacks a center.
David Fincherhas never been one for sentiment.
His latestThe Killer,now streaming on Netflix, is no exception.
Michael Fassbender as David Fincher’s titular assassin in ‘The Killer’.Netflix
He is a man of few words, speaking only the bare minimum required to get through daily interactions.
We watch him deliver dialogue on camera only a handful of times.
There’s no way this isn’t personal.
Tilda Swinton in ‘The Killer’.Netflix
Because it is David Fincher, the action is unquestionably rendered exquisitely.
They evoke the exactitude of our central character with rigor, and the composition is extraordinary.
But it’s all technique, no feeling, which is deliberate, but not successful.
These actors are similar creatures, their piercing unusualness their most defining aspect on screen.
It requires palpable effort.
The central conceit ofThe Killeris an intriguing one, but nothing here ever hangs together.
There’s an appeal in watching him orchestrate things.
We can find humor in his sitcom-inspired aliases and some degree of admiration in his extreme competence and preparation.
ButThe Killeris about a man so shrouded in denial that nothing can puncture it.
Watching that from arm’s length is hardly riveting.
