Adapted from the French graphic novel written by Alexis ‘Matz’ Nolent, David Fincher’s new film stars Michael Fassbender as a nameless hitman forced to deal with the consequences of failure to execute his mission. Despite his meticulous and careful preparations, which, along with his philosophy of his profession, is shared with the viewer, he botches the job. Repercussions include a horrific strike against the woman (Sophie Charlotte) who is seemingly the hitman’s only loved one. This merely serves to provoke him into tying up loose ends by seeking out and eliminating all those involved with the assignment, action which has the dual purpose of giving him his revenge. Scripted by Andrew Kevin Walker, with whom Fincher collaborated on Se7en (1995), The Killer is an extremely entertaining and typically stylish take on the hitman genre, shot through with mordant humour.

Notes by Kevin Coyne