"Stick to the plan. Do only the work you are paid to do. Anticipate and don't improvise. Don't trust anyone. Don't empathize. Empathy shows weakness and weakness is vulnerability”. These are the words that Michael Fassbender repeats almost like a Zen mantra in an inner monologue in his role as a lethal assassin in The killer, David Fincher's long-awaited return to the big screen with which he aspires to this year's Golden Lion Venice festival tarnished by the absence of film stars.
If the opening credits go at breakneck speed, as if it were the umpteenth series of Fast
And it is that, after so much prior preparation, the task that the executor has to fulfill goes awry and his life ends up being in danger. He thus embarks on an extreme adventure of survival and revenge that will take him to the Dominican Republic, New Orleans, Florida and New York, stages that Fincher divides into several chapters with a revealing final epilogue. Three years after his immersion in classic Hollywood with Mank, the acclaimed director of Seven or The Curious Case of Benjamin Button has turned to the graphic novel of the same name by the French Matz and Luc Jacamon to dive with his refined style into the crisis moral what a disciplined and unscrupulous killer goes through. An individual for whom listening to music while aiming is essential to avoid distractions.
Specifically, Fincher opted for The Smiths and subjects such as Big mouth strikes again and How soon is now? “I loved the idea that music was a tool to calm his anxiety. Like a meditation tape. I thought it was fun."
The choice of Fassbender was clear from the beginning. "We had to fit into his schedule and we feel very happy to have him. Without him we certainly wouldn't have made this film." It also highlights the ability to control the performer of Shame, another one of those who have been missing in this Mostra. "It gives you everything you need. His face is the perfect mix between Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier”.
He confesses that he never thought he would be a character that the viewer would like. "It's the last thing on my mind. He is an individual who does not attract attention and did not need to be afraid. You know, the banality of evil. My hope is that someone sees this movie and gets really nervous about the person behind them in line at Home Depot," he commented, referring to a popular home improvement store."
And on the ubiquitous subject of strikes in Hollywood, he states that he is "sad" and that he understands both sides: "I think the only thing I can do is encourage them to dialogue". The killer will be released in Spanish theaters on October 27 and from November 10 it will be available on Netflix, with which he already collaborated on Mank and the Mindhunter series, of which he ruled out a third season.
