*** THE KILLER *** (Michael Fassbender, dir. David Fincher)

10,828 Views | 117 Replies | Last: 10 mo ago by idAg09
TCTTS
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AG
From director David Fincher (Gone Girl, The Social Network, Zodiac, Fight Club, Seven) comes my most anticipated movie for the rest of the year...

The Killer
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1136617/
October 27, 2023 = Theatrical
November 10, 2023 = Netflix



Cliff.Booth
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This director-actor pairing gives me 95% confidence that it's gonna be good. The score from that trailer definitely gives me Fight Club vibes.
Brian Earl Spilner
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AG
This, plus TR/AR.
Faustus
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https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/trent-reznor-atticus-ross-score-david-fincher-the-killer-1234673187/

Trent Reznor on the score. This is really scratching that Gen. X itch.

Edit: 3 posts and I didn't read the entire thread before posting. BES beat me to it.
boogieman
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AG
Nice.
I was recently re-watching Gone Girl, and had wondered what Fincher had gotten up to.
agdoc2001
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AG
Right? I had to double check that it wasn't the Chemical Brothers
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Brian Earl Spilner
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AG
Dust Brothers*
PatAg
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AG
I prefer this sort of trailer, where I feel like I still know nothing of the plot and am just given the vibe of the movie.
BG Knocc Out
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IN. Not many movies can get me out to the theaters these days but can't wait to watch this one in theaters.
BG Knocc Out
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PatAg said:

I prefer this sort of trailer, where I feel like I still know nothing of the plot and am just given the vibe of the movie.
AMEN
agdoc2001
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AG
Brian Earl Spilner said:

Dust Brothers*
Thank you
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Max Power
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AG
I'm down with anything Fincher does so I'm certainly down for this. Mank is the only thing of his that just didn't work for me so far, but this looks like it's back to the Fincher that I know and love.

Ironically this weekend I listened to The Rewatchables podcast for The Social Network again. I just feel like the 2011 Oscars got it so wrong, Fincher got robbed. Sorkin won for adapted screenplay, Reznor and Ross won for original score, it also won for film editing. I just don't get how The King's Speech wins for directing and best picture, it doesn't make sense to me. It's fine, adequate, nothing special. Of the films from that year I watched The King's Speech once, I've never felt the need or urge to watch it again, there's nothing about it that calls for another viewing. The Social Network, Inception, The Fighter, Toy Story 3, True Grit even Winter's Bone I'd put above The King's Speech. But even with all those The Social Network is in a class of it's own, it's the flagship film of that year. I also think Eisenberg should have won over Firth but I can at least make sense of that award so it doesn't bother me as much.

I've actually wondered if losing in 2011 is what put him on the path to working so much with Netflix over the last decade between House of Cards, Mind Hunter, Love Death + Robots, and Mank.

Side note: I had forgotten that Renner was nominated for The Town, that makes me smile since he's leaning into the Boston accent so hard that whole movie to where it's comical, but he is excellent in it.
Brian Earl Spilner
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AG
I don't know what was worse, that, or Hurt Locker winning over Avatar and Inglourious Basterds.
Max Power
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AG
I do think the Bigelow vs Cameron narrative became too big and overshadowed Inglorious which should have been the winner IMO. I think that's a film that gets better with age as well. I also think District 9, Up, and Fantastic Mr. Fox would have been better nominees for best director over Up In The Air.
Gigem314
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AG
This looks good.

And will probably only further my belief that Fassbender would make a great Bond.
TCTTS
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AG
Reminder that this opens in limited theatrical release tomorrow, then hits Netflix on November 10. I'll be seeing it for myself on Friday and will report back after.

Somehow, it's been NINE years since we've had a Fincher movie in theaters, with Gone Girl in 2014, so you can bet I'm going to cherish this.

(Mank in 2020 was Netflix only, and over the past decade Fincher otherwise showran/directed two seasons of Mindhunter and then produced three seasons of Love, Death & Robots.)
Complete Idiot
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Here to again post I feel Fincher's The Game is underrated by the general public
TCTTS
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AG
A work thing came up tonight, so I had to move my showing of this to Tuesday instead. Annoyed, but I also don't mind the added anticipation either. In the meantime, the new trailer/poster...

The Killer
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1136617/
October 27, 2023 = Theatrical
November 10, 2023 = Netflix



TCTTS
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AG
Basically... Fincher meets Wick meets Bourne meets Bond.

Except way more cold, clinical, and cynical. With way more sleuthing and way less action (though it's briskly paced and there is one great fight scene).

If anything, it'll make you want to take a vengeful, solo, spy-centric trot around the globe. It's one of those movies that makes walking out of the theater, into the parking the garage, and driving home feel like a mission, where you're constantly clocking the security cameras and checking your rear-view to see if anyone's following you.

"A witty assassin thriller for the gig economy" is the most apt headline I've seen so far, one that will make more sense once you've seen the movie.

It also features the best cinematography of the year, hands down.

And is brilliantly soundtracked by The Smiths (11 songs from them total), Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross. With Fincher's music video background able to subtly shine through here and there.

All that said… this is NOT a movie for everyone.

And it's definitely a more "minor" Fincher entry, more in line with The Game and Panic Room than Seven, Fight Club, Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, or Gone Girl. You could almost mistake it for a tight Steven Soderbergh thriller, if not for all the Fight Club-esque philosophizing, the winking product placement, and signature, jaw-dropping lighting throughout.

Overall, I'd say I really, really liked it - if anything, for me the look of this thing was euphoric at times - but I didn't love it. That could certainly change, though, after I watch it again, which I definitely will once it comes to Netflix next week. Looking forward to reading everyone else's reactions once it does.
Claude!
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I haven't seen it, so not a spoiler, but I can guess with some confidence that the plan is not stuck to.
LMCane
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Gigem314 said:

This looks good.

And will probably only further my belief that Fassbender would make a great Bond.
I starred but Fassbender would be 49 years old if they started filming a Bond movie TODAY by the time it was finished

probably want a guy in his young 40s so they can at least 5 Bond films
Brian Earl Spilner
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AG
Fassbender was my #1 choice after Craig. Then Cavill after WB let him go.

Since neither is looking likely, I think Robb Stark would be great.
Max Power
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AG
Sounds good to me, I can't wait for it to drop on Netflix. Wish I could see it in the theater but that's not happening. Disappointing to hear it's not upper-echelon Fincher but he's set his own bar pretty high. One of my favorite things about Fincher is how he's basically able to use the music as an unseen character. Whether it's the score from The Social Network or "Where is my Mind" dropping at the end of Fight Club, I can't imagine the movies without the music, they're completely intertwined. The fact that he's sticking with Reznor & Ross but also using a ton of The Smiths sounds really cool to me.
TCTTS
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AG
There's an early sequence where The Smith's "How Soon Is Now?" is used to awesome effect, scoring a pivotal moment. Basically, Fassbender's character is constantly listening to The Smiths as he works, drives, etc, and the audio is constantly cutting back and forth between us hearing it as he's hearing it (loud and crystal clear) when we're seeing things from his point of view, and then the music is muddled when he's listening but we're not in his point of view, as if we're standing next to him and can hear it faintly coming from his headphones. It's a really cool effect.

And yeah, in addition to his infamous use of Pixies at the end of Fight Club, I'd throw in Fincher's use of "Hurry Gurdy Man" at the beginning and end of Zodiac as one of his best needle drops as well. Gives me chills every damn time.
TCTTS
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AG
As for Fassbender as Bond, we basically get the ruthless, stone-cold version here. We get like, like, 75% of what it would feel like to see him as Bond. Except dial down Bond's charm a bit and dial up the nihilism. The only other things missing are the tux and British accent. But the gun-wielding, globe-trotting spy stuff is all there.
G.I.Bro
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Does he hang a DJ whilst listening to Panic?
TCTTS
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AG
Didn't make the cut. The 11 that did...

The Smiths - "Well I Wonder"
The Smiths - "Know It's Over"
The Smiths - "How Soon Is Now?"
The Smiths - "Hand In Glove"
The Smiths - "Bigmouth Strikes Again"
The Smiths - "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now"
The Smiths - "Girlfriend In A Coma"
The Smiths - "Shoplifters Of The World Unite"
The Smiths - "Unhappy Birthday"
The Smiths - "This Charming Man"
The Smiths - "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out"
G.I.Bro
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Nice list. My other post would have been a bit on the nose
fig96
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AG
Complete Idiot said:

Here to again post I feel Fincher's The Game is underrated by the general public
100% true.

And totally in for this one.
Cliff.Booth
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Really enjoyable movie. I debated on whether the pain in the ass of driving to a somewhat distant Alamo for a late showing would prove worth it, but I'm glad I did. I don't have the greatest home setup and the sound design / mixing in this movie was really cool. Fassbender was great, as expected. Looking forward to seeing it again so I can pay attention to the narration more closely. Loved all of Smiths tunes. It's a shame with how many garbage movies are in wide releas right now THIS really cool one is relegated to so few screens.
TCTTS
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AG
Great to hear.

And yeah, seeing as Apple and Amazon have finally joined the ranks and started releasing their movies wide in theaters, it's high time Netflix gets their sh*t together and does the same. Because there's definitely an audience for this one, and like you said, the audio/visual experience of this one can't be fully appreciated anywhere but a theater.
Max Power
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AG
In honor of the release of The Killer they did a Fincher movie draft on The Big Picture podcast. Their movie drafts are my favorite thing they do on that show. I did a deep dive and didn't realize he directed as many music videos as he has and if Wikipedia is correct he was an assistant cameraman going back to Return of the Jedi. Fincher has directed a total of 12 movies going all the way back to Alien 3 in 1992. The biggest gap for movies was between Gone Girl (2014) and Mank (2020) but that's when he was in the thick of his Netflix involvement between House of Cards, Mindhunter, and Love Death & Robots.

This got me thinking about my top 5 Fincher movies which I'd probably put in this order:

1) The Social Network - it's his magnum opus, period.

2) Zodiac - this was a film that didn't totally click for me the first time I watched it, was more of a slow burn. The more I watched it, the more I liked it, and I watch it probably every year. Still feels underappreciated in the Fincher pantheon to me. I still know people that have never seen the movie and like a lot of his work, it slipped through the cracks for them for some reason.

3) Fight Club - I can still remember seeing this in college and being blown away. Not shocking considering the book was written about disillusioned young men trying to find their way in the world. This is the movie of his I've seen the most. The combination of Pitt, Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter is just perfect. Oddly enough I think Marla sticks with me the most, I think she takes over every scene she's in. It definitely hits differently today as a 40+ year old parent than it did as a college student, but I still enjoy it.

4) Se7en - this is the first movie of his I saw once I hit high school. This was a film that just turned what I thought movies could be on it's axis. The subject matter, how it looked, how it sounded, what you picked up on the more times you watched it. This is what got me to pay more attention when watching movies...not ironic considering what John Doe says when they're riding in the car "wanting people to listen, you can't just tap them on the shoulder anymore. You have to hit them with a sledgehammer, and then you'll notice you've got their strict attention."

5) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - I never read the books or watched any of the Swedish films on them. To me this is the most fun movie of his where he takes a popular book and makes the story his. This to me feels like him trying to have fun, his version of fun is dark and twisted, but totally works for me. Kind of like how Helena Bonham Carter steals the show in Fight Club, Rooney Mara does the same thing here. Daniel Craig has top billing but to me this is her movie. Enya has never been the same, that scene with that song is burned into my brain forever.
Sex Panther
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AG
Cliff.Booth said:

Really enjoyable movie. I debated on whether the pain in the ass of driving to a somewhat distant Alamo for a late showing would prove worth it, but I'm glad I did. I don't have the greatest home setup and the sound design / mixing in this movie was really cool. Fassbender was great, as expected. Looking forward to seeing it again so I can pay attention to the narration more closely. Loved all of Smiths tunes. It's a shame with how many garbage movies are in wide releas right now THIS really cool one is relegated to so few screens.

Exact same. I saw it late last night at a Drafthouse and thought about waiting for Netflix, but was glad I saw it on the big screen for the sound alone. Another Fincher piece of art, albeit a small and tidy one.

Fassbender was awesome as usual. Will definitely be the next autistic alpha that guys on the internet think they are somehow similar to like Gosling's Driver.

Also, if you didn't pick it up... all his aliases were famous old tv characters
TCTTS
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TCTTS
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AG
I have that episode of The Big Picture cued up and can't wait to listen.

Also, my top five is nearly the exact same as yours, except I'd switch out Zodiac and The Social Network, but I'm right there with you on nearly everything you say.

Overall, Fincher's filmography is so tough to rank, because I enjoy even his lower tiered stuff. But ultimately, I think I'd go with something along the lines below, where I'd say the top six are in the "absolutely love" tier, and then the next six are in the "thoroughly enjoy but don't quite love" tier (with seven through ten basically being interchangeable, it just depends on which one(s) I've seen last)…

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