Highly anticipated by fans, “The Killer” by David Fincher is finally available on Netflix. What did the French public think of it?
Highly anticipated by the public, The Killer by David Fincher is one of the event films of the end of the year on Netflix.
Finally available on the platform and already number 1 in the top views, this thriller in six chapters follows the revenge of a hitman, after a contract that goes wrong in Paris. He will then fight against his employers and himself, in a manhunt across the world.
Adaptation of the comic series The killer by the French Alexis Nolent (Matz), on the screenplay, and Luc Jacamon, on the illustration, The Killer is the twelfth feature film by David Fincher, who reunited with his collaborator Andrew Kevin Walker, co-author of the script for Seven, to work on this adaptation.
Before its release on the streaming service, The Killer was previewed at the 80th edition of the Venice Film Festival. The director was entitled to a standing ovation and applause for 7 minutes and the first reviews were rather enthusiastic from festival-goers and critics.
The Killer divides Fincher fans
Now that The Killer is available on Netflix, subscribers have finally been able to discover it. So what did they think? As we write these lines, David Fincher’s new film obtains a rating of 3.5 out of 5 from AlloCiné spectators.
Netflix
But we can say that The Killer divides. Some see this thriller as a new tour de force from the American filmmaker or a minor film but one that is definitely worth a look, as we can read in the following comments.
According to Vader Mir (3.5/5): “A well-executed suspense, a masterful Michael Fassbender, Fincher as effective as ever! Constant tension, very good.”
According to Naughty Dog (4/5): “The Killer is in the image of its anti-hero: implacable, clean, flawless. An excellent black B series, which will not be in Fincher’s great films, but which despite everything puts a hell of a lot of effort into the industry…once again!”
According to Ayden (4.5/5): “The bad reviews, we immediately see that it’s the Netflix audience, not used to seeing auteur films that take the time to set out the plot. The film has a just perfect rhythm, the 6 chapters follow one another with great pleasure and surprises in Fassbender’s reactions. I wasn’t bored for a second, and in terms of staging, it’s totally brilliant.”
According to lecinema_clem (3.5/5): “It is by watching this type of film – which would obviously have its place on the big screen – that I am delighted to have my Netflix subscription. The first 25/30 minutes are a masterclass in sober intensity. […] This calm, thoughtful, methodical American Psycho-style hitman side fits perfectly with the German-Irish actor.
Dialogues that can be counted on the fingers of one hand, but nothing too disturbing because it is replaced by the omnipresence of the voice-over. This is one of the film’s real strengths. Everything is calmly, soberly and methodically explained to the viewer. As if we became accomplices of the main character. A real masterstroke. I loved !”
Others, on the contrary, expected much better and are disappointed by David Fincher’s new proposal, which they think is “anecdotal” and well below the level of the filmmaker’s other films. It’s a cold shower for a good portion of Netflix subscribers.
According to Guillaume B. (2/5): “Here’s another big name in cinema who gives us a low-end product tailor-made for the Netflix platform… Fincher gives us a feature film without soul, only the title of the film is rather well thought out given the mortal boredom that it procure.”
According to Laurent Ranwez (2/5): “The worst Fincher I’ve ever seen (and I think I’ve seen almost all of them). We don’t get attached to the main character, we’ve already seen his thirst for revenge in 25 other films
and we know from the start that he’s not going to get caught. Very disappointed from a filmmaker that I always liked to see.”
According to Blaystro (1.5/5): “I love Fincher but this… it was long, boring and not really interesting. It’s a bad revenge movie, a poor man’s John Wick. The attempt to intellectualize the main character whose voice-over pollutes the majority of the scenes give a taste of reheated American Psycho. Ultimately what saves (a little) is the photography but it’s simply not enough for the great Fincher.”
According to Mia Wallace (2.5/5): “Fincher, Dad of Seven & Fight Club, where are you? What a disappointment… It’s not worthy of him! So yes, the shots are magnificent, well framed, well filmed. But that doesn’t make it a good movie, sorry.
The character is as unsympathetic as possible, his actions go against what he says. It would have been a small director, it would have been okay, but now? No ! And the ending doesn’t raise the level. Such a shame!”
And you, what did you think of The Killer?
David Fincher’s The Killer is available on Netflix.