Criticism: “The Killer” is a cold and superficial exercise

the killer (Michael Fassbender) is meticulous, meticulous, patient and constantly repeats a series of “rules” to avoid getting too involved in each of his tasks, but what happens when a professional like him makes a mistake? exit David Fincher (Social networkHe tries to give us the answer to this question in his new film the killer (the killer), a thriller that is strict in its technical departments but superficial in its treatment of its characters.

Stories about killers and crimes are no stranger to screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker (Se7en), which here adapts the graphic novel of the same name written by Alexis Nolent and drawn by Luc Jaccamon, but on this occasion its style seems hackneyed: we know the bare minimum of the main character that we must follow throughout his journey but we never delve into his past or his personality. The scenario is direct, does not care about interpretations, and leaves no room for interpretations, surprises, or complex twists.

It’s interesting how Walker chooses not to get bogged down in moral or ethical dilemmas, psychological damage, or questions about empathy, the story of an assassin who fails to kill his target lends itself to exploring all of this perfectly. However, it instead offers a revenge story with little content: it goes from point A to point B without any possibilities along the way and when we reach the end of the journey it leaves us with an unsatisfying feeling.

Michael FassbenderWinning the goal) gives as good a performance as the script allows: his face is sparse and expressionless throughout, and he is cold and has a mechanical demeanor; This makes it difficult to sympathize with him through his internal monologue alone, as the voiceover and his dark humor seem disconnected from the character. Tilda SwintonEternal daughter), for his part, shares a rather tense scene with Fassbender, but it’s the same: his interpretation is limited by how little information we have about his character. The rest of the cast appears briefly but they all suffer the same cold treatment from the filmmakers.

Each artistic section overflows with quality: photography by Eric Messerschmitt (Mank) is a vital narrative resource for the story and perfectly conveys that obsession with action found in all of the director’s films; Production design by Donald Graham Burt (Loss) He has an ascetic and thoughtful personality that helps keep the identity of all the characters a secret: nothing in the protagonist’s house gives us clues about his identity; Kirk Baxter edition (The power of pennies) gives a meditative but consistent rhythm to the film, as if we are entering the computational mind of the hero.

in the killer, David Fincher continues to show his talent as he meticulously coordinates all the technical departments, which reflects his obsessive personality. Unfortunately, he plays it safe without risking much: the script is superficial and gives a cold treatment to the characters, and this prevents the actors from going to the extreme in their performance and also limits our connection to the story. It’s an exercise in style and direction, but it leaves viewers with a satisfying and cathartic conclusion.

The movie “El Assassin” or “The Killer” is available in some theaters in Mexico and will reach the markets Netflix On November 10th.