About the film (courtesy of Netflix):
After a fateful near-miss, an assassin battles his employers, and himself, on an international manhunt he insists isn’t personal.

Oscar-nominated director David Fincher is back behind the camera with his latest work, The Killer starring Michael Fassbender. The R-rated action crime film sees an assassin turning the tables on those that wronged him in an unfortunate botched assassination attempt. It is a remake of John Woo’s 1989 Hong Kong classic of the same name, but Fincher brings his own unique vision to the material. Fassbender is stoic, thorough and methodical in his unrelenting pursuit of exacting revenge on those that have attempted to wrong him. Calculated brutality is what’s to come to those unlucky souls in his crosshairs.

The Killer is one of the more straightforward attempts in terms of a plot, that David Fincher has been a part of in his illustrious career. Previous works such as Se7en (1995), The Game (1997), Fight Club (1999), Gone Girl (2014) ,and even The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) were layered in such a way that viewers didn’t totally get everything that was going on until much later into the plot progression. With this latest film, the audience will know what’s going on pretty dang soon and there’s no doubt where it’s heading.

The Killer is simple, but effective in its execution (no pun intended) of how and why the film’s protagonist (Michael Fassbender) behaves the way that he does and performs the actions that he does. While Fassbender is definitely the centerpiece, other supporting actors assist in tying this sprawling story together. Charles Parnell, Kerry O’Malley, Arliss Howard and Tilda Swinton are some such actors. Each piece has a part to play in this righteous (mostly in the eyes of Michael Fassbender) revenge saga.

Weighing in at a hair under two hours, once The Killer gets going, it pretty much keeps your attention for the rest of its duration. When there are lulls, it’s typically to viewers more insight into why certain characters behave in the various ways that they do. While plot does feel a tad slow at times, the story itself is mostly engaging and makes the view forget all about any dragging moments.

David Fincher’s direction is simply breathtaking. He creates a truly immersive cinematic experience, with every frame carefully composed and every shot meticulously executed. The Killer is also notable for its brutal violence, which is graphic but never gratuitous. Fincher uses violence to great effect, creating a sense of dread and suspense that is palpable throughout the film.

The Killer is a complex and morally ambiguous film that explores themes of violence, redemption, and the nature of good and evil. It is not an easy film to watch, but it is a rewarding one. Fincher has crafted a masterpiece of neo-noir cinema that is sure to be remembered as one of the best R-rated films of the year.

The Killer is in select theaters starting Friday, October 27th. Netflix subscribers can catch when it’s released exclusively on the streaming service beginning November 10th.