A professional assassin misses his shot in Paris, then watches his life unravel when his girlfriend is attacked at home. He tracks the people responsible from the Dominican Republic through the United States. Fincher keeps the plot lean, and the cool voiceover is the main thing to watch.
The Killer is a 2023 crime, thriller and action film directed by David Fincher. This breakdown covers 4 techniques (2 narrative, 1 editing and 1 sound), each with the scene where you can see it. If you like how it is made, Goodfellas uses several of the same techniques.
Giving the narrator a voice so intimate, witty and self-aware that you get pulled into their point of view. You find yourself going along with things you would normally reject.
How this film uses it
The Killer narrates his work in a dry, funny voice, and you get pulled onto his side. Then he kills a taxi driver and a secretary, and you notice how easily you went along. The voice never gets warmer.
Where to see it
The Dominican Republic stretch. The Killer comes home to find his girlfriend hurt, and a taxi driver gives him the 2 assassins' nicknames before the Killer kills him.
Dividing the film into named chapters with title cards on screen. Each title tells you what the next section will focus on and shapes how you read it.
How this film uses it
The film is split into chapters, each tied to a person and place, as the Killer travels from the Dominican Republic to New Orleans, Florida, New York State and Chicago. The chapters make the film feel like a to-do list he works through.
Where to see it
The New Orleans chapter. The Killer poses as maintenance staff to reach his handler, a lawyer, who dies under torture without giving up the names. His secretary Dolores then gives them.
Playing an existing popular song at a precise moment in the film. The song's lyrics, era and associations add irony, period feel or emotion that an original score could not.
How this film uses it
11 Smiths songs, about 41 minutes of music in total, play while the Killer waits and works. The sad, pretty songs clash with his cold routine and hint at a mood he never mentions out loud.
Where to see it
The long wait. The Killer listens to The Smiths while he waits in a Paris hotel room for his target.
Telling the story through a character you can't trust, because they are lying, mentally unwell or fooling themselves. At some point, you have to rethink what you were told.
How this film uses it
In voiceover, the Killer lays out a calm routine and says he sticks to the plan. Then a dominatrix steps into the line of fire, he kills her by accident and the target survives. The voice keeps its cool while the plan falls apart.
Where to see it
The Paris stakeout. The Killer waits in a hotel room, then a woman steps into the line of fire and he shoots her by accident.
Questions
The Killer: quick answers
What filmmaking techniques does The Killer use?
CineCode breaks down 4 techniques in The Killer (2023): Voiceover as Seduction, Chapter Title Cards, Pop Music Needle Drop and Unreliable Narrator.
Who directed The Killer?
David Fincher directed The Killer, released in 2023. CineCode also covers Alien³ (1992), Se7en (1995), The Game (1997), Fight Club (1999), Panic Room (2002), Zodiac (2007).
What films are similar to The Killer?
Films that share techniques with The Killer include Goodfellas (1990), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), The Shining (1980), Fight Club (1999).
