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With a combination of high caliber talents, The killer (The Killer) is the most recent work by the famous director David Fincher and which promises to captivate the public with another thought-provoking yet different thriller.
The film delves into the protagonist's meticulously organized mind, filled with deep, introspective monologues. With a stellar cast, the new production has already received critical acclaim and promises to be the next action and suspense sensation from Netflix.
History
“Follow the plan. Don't allow yourself empathy. Trust no one. Only win the battle you were paid to fight.”. This is the mantra that the character embodied by Michael Fassbender repeats throughout the plot. According to the official synopsis, he is an assassin who is incessantly dedicated to erasing the traces of an unsuccessful mission, being driven by fear for his own existence. Eliminating everyone involved, including those who hired him, is also not something that gives him pause.
The history of The killer It is narrated in his own voice, as if in a kind of internal monologue that describes the tactics of his profession. Throughout the narrative, we realize how much he seeks to resort to metaphysical and philosophical reflections to justify his actions and behavior. However, we have come to the conclusion that what he says does not always correspond to what is being portrayed.
To explain this a little, it is necessary to understand that the protagonist adopts a philosophy of life that resonates with that of famous psychopaths in the world of fiction, especially those portrayed in the director's works. David Fincher. The truth is that the title character is a man focused on his work and who expresses a deep disdain for humanity, but traces of mental disorders go far away.
It is also the story of a man who kills people who have nothing to do with the mantra he repeats mentally during his missions. In the plot, the mantra is a kind of character, which interrupts itself and interacts in some way with the rest of the characters. Michael loved this idea and helped us shape it.
David Fincher, director of The Killer
The climax comes with a twist as he makes a serious and unexpected mistake. The bullet that was supposed to hit his target ends up hitting someone else and thus, he is unable to eliminate the person he should have. Despite managing to escape unharmed, another type of situation takes him by surprise and he decides to take matters into his own hands, but still maintaining his obsessively organized approach, as he also begins to be persecuted by those who hired him for the job. .
The problem that surrounds the entire plot is precisely what weighs on his conscience. His mistake in hitting someone he shouldn't have ended up disturbing him. It is from this moment that the killer begins to experience a psychological crisis and finds himself immersed in a compromised world, where lives are eliminated without remorse. Remaining cool and calculating, he strives to avoid the political implications arising from his own murders, but soon realizes the complexity of the situation.
I also like the idea that, like bricks in a wall, your code is dismantled according to your needs. Although he tells himself 'have a plan and never give up on it', we see him improvise throughout the film.
David Fincher, director of The Killer
The big question that remains throughout the story is the reason behind the character's mistake, after all, he is a hired killer and, therefore, this would be the type of situation that should not happen. In summary, The killer seeks to highlight how a lack of excellence can be present even among the most skilled.
This is the kind of film I was salivating to make. It has suspense and intrigue. Take your time. I love this type of film.
Michael Fassbender, actor
The film won international critical acclaim with a high approval rating in the R.
Cast
Michael Fassbender
Michael Fassbender em The killer is the main protagonist. Recognized by the name that gives the film its title, he is a highly disciplined professional, especially because he is a hired killer. Over the course of the narrative, he will need to deal with a crucial error that puts him on the run.
Of Irish and German origin, the actor became known for his participation in the miniseries Band of Brothers and his film debut in 300Directed by Zack Snyder. However, he only came to prominence with his performance in Inglourious Basterds, And HungerDirected by Steve McQueen, which earned him numerous positive reviews. When he brought the iconic character to life Magneto in the saga X-Men, gained greater visibility, as well as in productions Prometheus e Alien: Covenant. The actor has also received two nominations for Oscar, one in the category of Best Supporting Actor by 12 years of slavery and another in the category of Best Actor for his leading role in Steve Jobs.
Michael was perfect for the role. I've seen him playing robotic characters very well, people who are soulless instruments. He had an active participation. At some point, the killer needs to duplicate an electronic card. Michael suggested he look for something on Amazon, but we were unsure if a device like this existed for the average person. Michael picks up his phone, does a quick search, and ten seconds later we discover that not only are there 20 different models of this technology, but they all cost less than $20!
David Fincher, director of The Killer
At a press conference, David Fincher, the film's director, showed and gave more details about his previous interest in the actor for the role. It was almost as if the character had been written for him, which made Fincher insist on waiting for a break in Fassbender's parallel career as a racing driver to have him on the team.
The artist also underwent intense preparation to take on the role of assassin, having undergone 10 weeks of physical training, which even included classes to learn how to assemble a sniper rifle.
Tilda Swinton
Tilda Swinton takes on the role of The Expert in the plot and, just as the name speaks for itself, she is one of the best in her profession, which can represent a challenge for the murderess.
Swinton already has a name in the industry, being a recognized and award-winning figure. Oscar for his supporting role in Risk Conduct, in addition to having presented several other praised performances in films such as We need to talk about Kevin, Eternal Lovers e A Dive into the Past. Although his reputation is already great in the artistic world, his very characteristic role in MCU, Interpreting elder, for example, only proved its versatility even further.
the movie of David Fincher marks the actress's second collaboration with the director after working together on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Charles Parnell
Charles Parnell takes on the role of Hodges, responsible for the killer, which suggests that he could be one of the people who turn against the protagonist and try to eliminate him, or, on the other hand, put himself in dangerous situations to help him.
The actor's career began on the American soap opera All My Children, but it was only recently that his image became more notable, when he brought the character to life Warlock em Top Gun: Maverick and joined the cast of MISSION: Impossible – Settlement of Accounts Step 1 —, in addition to appearances in The Mandalorian do Disney + e Barry da HBO.
Kerry O'Malley
Kerry O'Malley é Dolores, an office administrator who works under the supervision of Hodges. The character proves that the director's classic style seems to highlight the more realistic aspect of contract murder. The more serious tone and the increase in Dolores in the film show that the plot also tends to address a vision of the administrative aspects of this industry.
The actress is best known for her role in the series Snowpiercer, in addition to films such as Annabelle, Annabelle: Creation, Case 39 and appearances on TV shows such as the classic Modern Family.
Sophia-Charlotte
The Brazilian Sophia-Charlotte is part of the cast as magdala, the protagonist's girlfriend. Apparently, her role is supporting, but enough to give meaning to the entire plot. Just as the story tells real angles that deviate a little from the action, it is also expected that the personal life of the murderess come into play. It is very clear that the character could go through dangerous situations due to her connection with him.
This is the actress' debut in Hollywood. Of German-Brazilian origin, his curriculum largely involves Brazilian productions such as the film Passport to Freedom and the recent series all flowers.
Baker Room
Em The killer, the character played by Baker Room is nicknamed The Brute, another killer. Apparently, he will be the antagonist, or at least one of them. Considering that the plot revolves around a protagonist who is anything but good, he is still not the big villain.
Experienced stuntman Hollywood, we can expect his scenes to be full of action. The actor has a rich history of work in this area in productions such as the trilogy Lord of the Rings, in addition to several films from MCUAs Iron Man 3 e Captain America: Civil War. His most eye-catching roles include appearances in Sherlock Holmes: The Shadow Game e Braven: Danger on the Mountain.
Arliss Howard
Or role of Arliss Howard remains secret, with no details released so far.
The actor was best known for his performance in Born to Kill, film of Stanley Kubrick, and for his portrayal of the greedy villain Peter Ludlow em The Lost World: Jurassic Park. But beyond that, its history includes productions such as Ruby, Friendship e moneyball, and just like Tilda Swinton, he has also worked with David Fincher in the movie Deficiency.
Emiliano Pernia
Emiliano Pernia é Marcus, however, there was not much information available about the character. The actor has already participated in the Colombian film pick pockets, While The killer it will be his second production.
Gabriel Polanco
Gabriel Polanco gives life to Leo Rodriguez. The film marks the actor's big debut, but there is no information about his character either.
What to expect from The Assassin?
David Fincher, when talking about his film, made a point of emphasizing that it is not just a story about a hired killer. The entire plot portrays a story of revenge, however, a large part of all the critical acclaim regarding this plot is due to Michael Fassbender.
Erik messerschmidt, director of photography, praised the actor, highlighting exactly Fincher's words during the press conference at Venice Film Festival. According to the professional, Fassbender is the perfect actor for the role. In fact, according to the magazine Empire, throughout the filming, he did not blink in front of the camera. This would be a subtle but important touch for the film, since the audience is often dependent on the dialogue of the film. murderess. Focusing on the character's gaze is enough to provide much more information.
Michael's eyes reveal a lot […] He can hold a lot of conflicting things in his mind, and his eyes allow you to access that.
David Fincher, director of The Killer
As is typical in his works, David Fincher delivers a film that avoids large visual displays, which tends to focus on slower or more dialogue-driven scenes. This makes the plot precise and effective, without missing anything.
On the other hand, even with different locations, including Paris, New Orleans and the Dominican Republic, some critics say that The killer does not reach the same magnitude as the director's previous productions, such as the famous Seven - The Seven Capital Crimes, Zodiac ou The social network.
The production represents a new collaboration between David Fincher and the screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker. This is the third time the two have worked together. The streaming platform Netflix also continues as a partner of the director, as she was responsible for the filmmaker's previous projects — the series Mindhunter, the documentary ABOUT and the movie Deficiency.
Director's vision
The work of David Fincher is marked by a very distinctive visual style, characterized by a dark color palette, careful lighting and scene compositions with a denser atmosphere. He is known for complex narratives that tend to explore darker, more psychological themes, delving deeply into the psychology of characters in extreme situations.
His perfectionism is also so evident in all aspects of his productions, which results in impactful experiences that challenge the public's expectations at the right moments.
My intention was to make people understand that the era we live in is perfect for the existence of sociopaths, because technologies and social networks help promote people's dissociation. I didn't know, before I started filming, that there was a McDonald's that is just a storefront, you order through an app and pick up the food, interacting as little as possible with other people. The idea was to build a killer living tangibly in our world. We notice, from series and films, that there seems to be a specific style even in the furniture of serial killers' homes.
David Fincher, director of The Killer
The director demonstrates his ability to maintain tension, even in a predictable plot. One of his characteristics is not to give everything completely away and, therefore, he relies on silence to postpone and raise expectations even further, even when almost exceeding the limit. All this control represents a real lesson. In The killer, is no different.
But the last thing I wanted was to create any kind of empathy from the audience towards the killer. But my goal wasn't to build a scary character. The objective was not to terrorize. My hope is that the film just makes the viewer nervous about the person behind them in line at the grocery store.
David Fincher, director, The Killer
What Fincher proposes with the story of a hired killer is to defend a concept that is very present today — the idea that each individual is their own company, that is, attention and proactivity must be important to achieve objectives and not miss opportunities.
I like the idea of following a man who kills in this way, listening to the voice in his head. This killer is characterized both by the codes he created for himself and by the lies he tells himself. The film lives in this space between mental mantras and the behavior he is led to adopt. The narration is so confident that it acts as a rhythmic guide to the story.
David Fincher, director of The Killer
Where to watch
The decision to launch did not occur directly in streaming This was due to the rules of awards such as the Oscar, which require a minimum period of exhibition on cinema circuits. The film was shown to the press and received a nomination for Golden Lion No. 80th Venice Film Festival.
The killer is now showing in selected cinemas, reaching Netflix on November 10th.
See also: Netflix Releases in November 2023: The Crown: Season 6 – Part 1 and more
Sources: The Globe, Screen Rant, Folha de S. Paul, Variety
reviewed by Glaucon Vital in 5 / 11 / 23.
