Loved this. It’s great to have Fincher back doing what he does best. The film reminded me in scope of his smaller efforts, like Panic Room or The Game, but something about The Killer feels personal in a way none of those did.
Other people have pointed out the similarities between Fincher and the killer: both mess up a job (if one could call Mank a mistake, although give his perfectionism, I’m sure Fincher considers it such), both of them are new to failure, both of them attempt to keep their feelings out of their work, and both of them desperately crave love and attention even if they pretend not to.
I also see Fincher using the nihilism and lack of humanity in the killer as a way to depict how he sees filmmaking: one needs to be soulless and inhuman to be successful at the craft. It’s all about the preparation. And the consequences of failure.
A couple other thoughts: I can’t believe this was the first time Fassbender worked with Fincher. I had to double check to make sure before I wrote this, because they are such a natural pairing. This was also the most handheld footage I can recall seeing in a Fincher film, but he never once overdid or misused it. The audio is incredible; the score is fantastic, of course (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are to me as The Smiths are to the killer), but Ren Klyce’s sound editing absolutely stole the show.
And finally, Fincher invented this whole digital palette. Originally out of necessity, I think, but it has since become his calling card. Many have imitated it, but this is the first time Fincher has shot a feature film in colour since 2014 (Gone Girl), and it is clear he remains the master of this style. Not a single frame is out of place. Everything is bathed in his signature desaturated warm yellow haze. It is perhaps the most aesthetically pleasing film I’ve seen all year.