Posted in: Movies, Netflix | Tagged: david fincher, Michael Fassbender, netflix, the killer

The Killer "Is Not James Bond" And He "Flies Coach"

The Killer director David Fincher explains why Michael Fassbender's nameless assassin "is not James Bond" and "flies coach."

David Fincher is returning to streaming this fall with The Killer, which had its Toronto International Film Festival Premiere earlier this month. So far, things are sounding pretty positive, but it's David Fincher; what did you expect? This is also one of two films about assassins that Netflix is releasing this year, so someone let us know if there is a little red dot anywhere on us. Michael Fassbender is our leading man, and Fincher recently spoke to Empire about how he went about capturing the nihilism of the nameless character and getting into that headspace. It turns out one of the oldest storytelling methods in the book was the best way.

"I thought the character's nihilism was interesting because it was tied to his self-loathing," the director explains. "Then I started thinking about this inner monologue. He has this whole thing he tells himself, which is a way of demeaning his prey so he can feel better about ostensibly being a serial killer for hire. I thought that could be interesting to navigate."

That's right, we're getting a voiceover, and that's interesting. The voiceover for films is either something that works flawlessly or is incredibly distracting; there really isn't anything in between. However, it sounds like Fincher is making sure that the voiceover in The Killer isn't being used to explain the plot to the audience because someone thinks they are too stupid to understand what is going on, but more to really put us in the mind of this person who might not be emoting much on the surface.

"I like the pact a voiceover makes with the viewer," says Fincher. "Seeing life through the eyes – and scope – of an assassin puts the audience in an interesting position. Let's see how far they'll go."

Fassbender's nameless assassin in this film isn't going to be someone with a bunch of personality or charisma to spare. Still, instead, someone you might see while you're coming home from vacation, hanging out in the airport, looking like they don't entirely hate their life, but they aren't happy to be there either. Fincher says, "He's not James Bond. Our guy flies coach." So, seeing this facade of someone who likely blends right into the crowd with a voiceover explaining how he will accomplish his job? Sounds fun, we're ready, David.

The Killer: Summary, Cast List, Release Date

After a fateful near-miss, an assassin battles his employers and himself on an international manhunt he insists isn't personal.

The Killer is directed by David Fincher and is based on a French graphic novel of the same name by Alexis Nolent and Luc Jacamon. The screenplay is written by Andrew Kevin Walker with William Doyle, Peter Mavromates, and Ceán Chaffin. It stars Michael Fassbender as The Killer, Arliss Howard, Charles Parnell, Kerry O'Malley, Sala Baker, Sophie Charlotte, Tilda Swinton, Emiliano Pernía, and Gabriel Polanco. It will premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 3rd, will receive a limited theatrical release on October 27th, and will stream to Netflix on November 10th.

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