David Fincher is a particularly focused filmmaker.

Anyone who has played close attention to his filmography, or the stories of his creative perfection¹, can attest to that. The proof is in the work.

But who knew that he could be so self-aware?

The Killer, now streaming on Netflix, plays like a greatest hits of Fincher…if Fincher were trying to also apologize for being the way that he has spent his career to date. The story of a meticulous assassin (Michael Fassbender), we’re met with his inner monologue from the jump. Filled with facts, figures, self-aggrandizement, and even a Popeye reference, it’s clear that this guys head is somewhat in the clouds, even if he’s waiting for the perfect moment to take his perfect shot.

All the elements of a classic David Fincher film are here — obsession, gorgeous yet sterile imagery, well executed needle drops, a score by Atticus Ross and David Fincher — but almost immediately, we recognize that this isn’t meant to be taken seriously. This many years on from Fight Club, the smarter-than-the-world narrator reads hollow. And more so, both the audience and the film are aware of this.

This makes it all the more interesting when the perfectly planned execution of this killer’s work starts to crumble, shift and become something anew.

The movie quickly becomes a snappy thriller — a “smaller” work, similar to Panic Room, a way to get back to basics. A project focused on the details. And here, the idea for both our lead and director alike is to get back to where you started.

Fassbender is absolutely captivating as the titular killer (who is — of course — unnamed), and he has to be. He’s not just our protagonist, he’s our eyes and ears. We’re seeing this story unfold through him. And both on screen and in narration, his actions are specific, hypnotic. It probably helps that he’s essentially doing his Steve Jobs voice in the role², another obsessed, focused and flawed man…though I don’t think Jobs ever considered the iSniper.

Really, the biggest fault of the movie has nothing to do with the film itself — it’s in the distribution of it. Netflix gave The Killer all of a week in theaters, in limited cities. There’s something about the full focus a theater gives you, and I can only imagine how it would play in a tense, quiet movie theater.

The Killer is a tight, taut thriller, but one that considers itself more than the average film. Navel gazy? Maybe a bit. But captivating just the same. If you give yourself to it, you’ll enjoy 2 hypnotic hours spent in the head of a professional. And you’ll probably want to go through The Smiths’ greatest hits after.

The Killer is streaming now on Netflix.

1. Shout out to the latest series of episodes of Blank Check. ↩
2. Hey! David Fincher almost directed THAT, too! ↩