After a detour via The social network, David Fincher returns to his first love: serial killers. And the filmmaker of Seven, Fight Club and the series Mindhunter chose Michael Fassbender. Here’s what you need to know about the film The killer…
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1. The screenplay was written by Andrew Kevin Walker, the same person who worked with David Fincher on Seven. The author adapted the French comic strip “The Killer” by Matz (screenplay) and Luc Jacamon (illustrations). The story follows a hitman, played by Michael Fassbender, after one of his contracts goes wrong.
“That moviegoers would feel sympathy for him was the last thing that occurred to me,” the filmmaker said during the feature’s screening at the recent Venice International Film Festival. “It doesn’t have to be scary, it’s the famous banality of evil. But I hope that someone who sees this film is very afraid of the person behind them standing in line at Home Depot.”
In an interview with Empire magazine during filming, which lasted from November 2021 to March 2022, Michael Fassbender stated: “This is the kind of film that…”[il rêvait] make. There’s tension, intrigue, it’s slow and [il] Love it.”
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2. Michael Fassbender prepared for the role of a serial killer whose name is never mentioned. Inspired by the comic of the same name – “There were so many elements to take with you,” he stressed – the actor trained for ten weeks to get in shape, learning how to assemble and disassemble a rifle. Then he obviously read a lot about the murderers.
“I had to understand how a sociopath’s brain works. Then I tried to build his life up to the moment we met him,” he said.
Physically, he describes his character as “always a little off.” The killer buys his clothes at airports, comfortable pieces that allow him to move less. “He is always alert, ready, committed and disciplined.” And David Fincher made it clear: “He is not James Bond. The guy is traveling economy class.”
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3. Among the director’s sources of inspiration for what he calls “a revenge system”? A Vigilante in the City (1974) by Michael Winner with Charles Bronson, Jackal (1973) by Fred Zinnemann with Edward Fox and The Law of the Middle by Mike Hodges with Michael Caine.
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Filmmaker David Fincher at the Venice International Film Festival on September 8, 2023.
4. In addition to his work as an actor, Michael Fassbender is also a racing driver – he completed the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice behind the wheel of a Porshe 911 – and before filming, David Fincher asked him to briefly describe his routine before a race.
“He sent me a three-page document. “He has a gift as an actor, but he has incredible discipline,” noted David Fincher, adding that his leading man’s precision and meticulousness also stemmed from his passion for car racing.
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Actor Michael Fassbender and actress Alicia Vikander at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2023.
5. The music is by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, both Oscar winners for the soundtrack to “The Social Network.” And David Fincher also wanted to include songs from the British band The Smiths. Because for the filmmaker this helps to take the killer’s point of view and on screen he decided to preserve the thoughts of the protagonist that we read in the comics.
“I like the fact that a speaker makes a kind of pact with the viewer. Seeing life through the eyes – and lens – of an assassin puts the audience in an interesting position. It just remains to be seen how far they will follow him.”
- “The Killer” hits theaters on October 27th and airs on Netflix on November 10th.