David Fincher has developed a dedicated fan base since he burst onto the scene in the 1990s, but not all of his movies get the same amount of respect. Fincher’s best movies mostly include crime thrillers, like Fight Club and Zodiac, but he has shown a willingness to experiment with other genres, as he did with The Social Network and Mank, for example.

Fincher is known for his intense, unpredictable dramas, which often relate to criminal psychology in some way. Just like his Netflix series Mindhunter, many of his movies examine unusual cases of criminal pathology, but Fincher also keeps an eye on how violent crimes can affect detectives, victims, and entire societies.

Fincher is set to direct a spinoff to Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which will reunite him with frequent collaborator Brad Pitt. There are plenty of reasons to be excited about this project, but the mixed responses to Fincher’s last movie offer some pause for thought. However, examining this film in more detail reveals that it may be have been mistreated.

The Killer Is Much Better Than Its Reputation Suggests

David Fincher’s Clinical, Detached Thriller Contains Mulтιтudes

The Killer stars Michael Fᴀssbender as a cold-blooded ᴀssᴀssin who botches a job and has to desperately scramble to save his own life. It was met with mixed reviews at the time, and audiences seemed to like it even less than critics did, but it deserves a lot more love two years on.

One of the great strengths of The Killer is that there are many different ways to interpret the film. On the surface, it seems like a slow-paced thriller that takes the audience inside the mind and the surprisingly mundane daily life of a hitman, but it’s the kind of movie that can linger in the mind, revealing new sides to itself with every rewatch.

The Killer could be David Fincher’s most personal film, since there seem to be some parallels between the director and Fᴀssbender’s ᴀssᴀssin, who prizes clinical execution, preparation and order above all else. The Killer could be Fincher’s way of laughing at himself, recognizing that his obsession with style doesn’t make sense in the chaotic real world.

The Killer is also a darkly humorous social satire about the frictionless tedium of modern life. Although it shares some DNA with older movies about master criminals, there’s a distinct lack of spontaneity and romance to the way the killer uses Amazon and McDonald’s to go about his business.

In some ways, The Killer is shockingly relatable. Even though it’s about a shady criminal underworld, it rings true for anyone worn out by the gig economy, or anyone frustrated at the way that work can slowly creep into one’s personal life. The Killer is intentionally pedestrian at times, wiping away the inherent glamour and danger that other hitman movies revel in.

Why The Killer Was Met With Mixed Reactions In 2023

The Killer Wasn’t What People Were Expecting

The Killer has a solid but unremarkable 85% score on Rotten Tomatoes, but the audience score of 61% tells a more complete story. This suggests that audiences were disappointed by Fincher’s latest offering, which is fair enough if people were hoping for a new Se7en or Zodiac.

The Killer is unique among Fincher’s movies for its glacial pace, constant narration and unflinching focus. This helps explain why some people were disappointed with it at the time, but The Killer offers a lot to love for those who can appreciate it on its own terms. It may be overdue a reevaluation.