The Killer (2023)

Fincher delivers a sleek, meticulously assembled hitman film that doubles as dry workplace satire. The Smiths soundtrack and Fassbender's controlled performance stand out as highlights.

The critic sees the film as a lean, mean thriller with a dry sense of humour that presents wet work unglamorously. It is engaging as a character study of a cryptic protagonist, though less ambitious than Fincher's best work.

The critic calls it a grisly but highly satisfying tale of survival, praising Fassbender's triumphant return as a tightly-wound hitman. It reunites Fincher with the Se7en writer for a pleasing result, especially for fans of the director's earlier work.

Fincher delivers a slick, cruel, tongue-in-cheek hitman movie destined to be a cult classic, with a standout Fassbender performance and brutally effective fight scenes, though the character remains a cipher.

Fincher returns to thriller territory with immaculate craft and a riveting revenge story anchored by Fassbender's icy intensity, though it falls short of masterpiece status with an anticlimactic ending.

Fincher crafts a precise, propulsive assassin drama with fun genre nods, pop-culture gags and nuance from Fassbender's blank protagonist, evoking what a Fincher Bond film might look like.

The film is technically masterful and meticulously assembled but aloof and cold, lacking significant substance or memorable scenes despite strong craft and Fassbender's solid work.

Fincher and Fassbender pull off an accomplished and entertaining thriller about a hunted hitman, but it lacks the shocks of Fight Club and is hard to root for such a successful murderer.

The critic finds the slick assassin thriller explosive but empty, fulfilling only part of its promise with a soulless genre arc. It remains watchable and gorgeous-looking thanks to controlled filmmaking and bursts of brutality.

The critic sees potential for great dry comedy undermined by relentless voiceover that tips into silliness, praising expertly composed sequences while complaining about the protagonist's endless philosophical blathering.

The Killer is a competent but grindingly bland popcorn revenge yarn that fails to live up to its potential despite Fincher’s touch. The critic complains of its perfunctory tone and overworked Smiths gags while acknowledging Fassbender’s efforts.

The critic calls it a sleek if small thriller armed with existential futility, praising Fassbender's zen killer performance and Fincher's execution while noting the film's limited scope and focus on self-deception.

Fincher returns to basics with a sleek, under-two-hour thriller that showcases his signature style in bursts through methodical process and strong supporting turns. The critic calls it a confident, entertaining reboot that proves the director remains untouchable.

Fincher delivers a detail-rich procedural about a perfectionist hitman whose world unravels after a rare mistake. The critic praises the technical precision, dark humor, and personal themes of obsession while noting the cold protagonist may alienate some viewers.

The critic describes a precision-tooled thriller with a philosophical edge that showcases Fassbender in a substantial lead role. It is compelling, more than a sleek genre exercise, and likely to reward repeated viewings.

The critic finds Fincher's hitman procedural intriguing and freshly staged, with a double-edged study of professional independence. Fassbender's restrained performance and the film's crisp action sequences, including a standout fight, entertain and unsettle.

Fincher’s hitman thriller is a terrifically stylish and enjoyable procedural with deadpan focus and absurd entertainment value. The critic singles out Fassbender’s inscrutable performance and the film’s surface-level flair for praise.

The critic finds the film a wry, efficient process-oriented thriller that subverts assassin tropes with boring costumes and unexpected choices, delivering a satisfying retro genre exercise. Praises the pulpy, location-hopping plot and Fincher's direction.

Fincher’s stylish film follows a loquacious, dull hitman cleaning up after a botched job, but repetitive voiceover and thin material leave it feeling empty despite strong craft. The critic finds the central character and movie boring overall.

Fincher delivers a sleek, icy hitman revenge thriller executed with steely resolve. The critic singles out Michael Fassbender’s brilliantly malevolent performance as the highlight.

The film is a slick, stone-cold hitman story with stylish action and quirky touches like the Smiths soundtrack, though it does not reinvent the genre. The critic notes the enjoyable precision and Fassbender’s performance but finds few surprises.

The critic praises it as a technically brilliant Fincher film with meticulous filmmaking, enigmatic character development, and strong performances, especially Fassbender's composed nihilist, though the conclusion feels rushed and somewhat unresolved.

Fincher misses top-tier status but delivers an entertaining, crowd-pleasing hitman romp with slick action, clever procedural work and strong turns from Fassbender and Swinton.

The critic views the film as a stylish, unsentimental take on familiar assassin material that remains entertaining and accomplished despite its minimalist narrative and cynical worldview. He singles out the mid-film fight scene for particular praise as the director’s best use of handheld camerawork since Se7en.

The critic sees it as a lesser but still enjoyable Fincher work, a cold, calculating showcase of the director's precise style in a simple story of an assassin methodically handling tasks and complications. It praises the technical clarity and fun in watching the protagonist work, even if the humor and depth feel thin.

The review calls it a competently realized but orthodox homage to classic crime thrillers that lacks the visionary brilliance or twists of Fincher's best work, yet remains entertaining and well-made by a sharp technical team.

Fincher returns to familiar stylish territory with a slick revenge thriller that is formulaic and unsurprising. Fassbender's icy lead performance and one standout fight scene provide the main appeal.

The review notes the film's bright, crisp adaptation with updated cultural references and arch humor, highlighting its compelling escape sequences and pattern-driven style while questioning the gender imbalance in violence and the impact of the voiceover narration.

Fincher delivers a lean, mean hitman drama that hits the target with bewitching precision and jet-black absurdist humor. The film embraces perfection and provides satisfying escapism for fans and mainstream audiences alike.

Fincher crafts a witty assassin thriller for the gig economy with icy crisp precision and near total formal command. The film is chilly-to-the-touch but wrings a great deal of wit from its frigid world through sharp voiceover and a Smiths soundtrack.