The Killer Trailer: David Fincher’s Latest Sticks to the Plan

Jun 16, 2023

By Katey Rich

Let the yellow-hued cinematography and pulsing music from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross get you excited for a new David Fincher movie — but first, get your heart rate below 100.

In this first-look teaser for Fincher’s new film The Killer, we meet star Michael Fassbender doing what the title promises: holding a sniper rifle, aiming for his latest target. But as many times as Fassbender repeats in voiceover that he must “stick to the plan,” it wouldn’t be a good movie if things stayed that neat and clean.

This is Fincher’s second feature for Netflix after 2020’s Mank, but there’s a reason that black-and-white period piece isn’t listed in the beginning of this teaser, and Gone Girl, Seven, and Fight Club are. The Killer looks like a return to down-and-dirty, artfully violent Fincher, and maybe with a dose of prestige like The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. The film‘s premiere slot at the Venice Film Festival suggests there’s a whole lot more here than a genre exercise, as does the film‘s prime October release date.

It’s also the beginning of what will be a busy fall for Fassbender, who hasn‘t starred in a film since 2017’s odd double-header of Alien: Covenant and The Snowman. A week after The Killer makes its Venice premiere, the Fassbender-starring Next Goal Wins, written and directed by Taika Waititi, will bow at the Toronto International Film Festival. Fassbender, of course, will be staying home as part of the SAG-AFTRA strike. But it sure looks like it’s going to be his season anyway.

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