>*"Forbid empathy. Empathy is weakness. Weakness is vulnerability."*

Starts out strong with the parts in Paris and the not getting caught aspect, I was on the edge of my seat the whole first chapter. It's very character focused with a good main performance by Michael Fassbender. Not much dialogue between characters but loads of narration from Fassbender who gives us a philosophy class through endless monologues. Like most of Fincher's movies, don't expect much action, there are some great unexpected kills though. Love the music choices but the score was straight out annoying at times.

Didn't like the direction the story was going in after the first chapter, unoriginal and kinda boring. It also struggles at rebuilding tension past that point. Lost me in the middle but caught my attention again in the epic superhuman hand-to-hand fight scene in Florida. Thank god for Tilda Swinton. Completely flat third act and ending. An ok watch overall but run-of-the-mill and forgettable.

Crazy how many product placements were in this movie.

*Ch. 1: Paris/The Target* - **8/10**
*Ch. 2: Dominican Republic/The Hideout* - **6/10**
*Ch. 3: New Orleans/The Lawyer* - **6/10**
*Ch. 4: Florida/The Brute* - **7/10**
*Ch. 5: New York/The Expert* - **6/10**
*Ch. 6: Chicago/The Client* - **5/10**

Over average “portrait of an assassin” film. Fassbender plays the role very well.

The inner monologue is ok but seemed to fail, at times, at being as interesting, as original or as funny as it intended to be.

Having our assassin listen only to the Smiths was a little cheesy IMO. I know it was meant to be cheeky but it missed the mark for me.

My daughter and I agreed that because of Fincher we entered the theatre with high expectations and were a tad disappointed. Had Fincher tightened things up and sprinkled in a couple more tasty morsels it could have been a great film…

… and there are a ton of plot holes and implausible situations. Here are a few in chronological order (spoiler alert):

1. Being invisible is impossible our man says because there are cams everywhere. So his camo is dressing like a German tourist. He scopes out the location of his future assassination for days as the German tourist, then switches to ninja clothes for the dirty deed, then switches back to his same German tourist outfit to make his escape. Ridiculous.

2. Why didn’t the assassins that beat up his gf wait around to kill him? You would think that would count as a failed assassination and that they too would be targeted for cleanup. I need to rewatch the part with the attorney because perhaps he says that he expected our man to have disappeared to the other side of the planet and that sending the assassins to his house was just a gesture to make it look like he made an attempt to clean up. And in that case to whom were they making this show of cleaning up? The botched assassination victim? That makes no sense…

3. The first assassin has one of those loud entrance door beeps when our man enters the assassins house and yet our man goes about looking through the house as if he expects to find the assassin asleep on the couch with a bag of potato chips. Of course the assassin gets the drop on him… Ridiculous.

3. Billionaire client says attorney suggested the proper thing would be to cleanup (kill our man) for an extra $150K. What? $150K? Assuming the attorney takes 1/3 as commission, that means each killer gets $50K to fly to Puerto Rico and murder another assassin? Dang assassins are on sale in this movie! They must have killed a lot of folks at $50K a pop to have “more money than they could ever spend”.

That’s it for now. If I’ve missed any other plot holes or implausibilities please let me know.

PS: I don’t usually care about holes and implausibilities but this movie pretends to be a realistic peek into the life of a highly competent, no frills assassin.

The most straightforward genre film Fincher has made since _Panic Room_, and probably his goofiest effort since _The Game_. It’s not great, what’s really lacking here is that inventive spark that makes his best work tick. The script is generally cliche, repetitive, predictable and sometimes cheesy. That’s not entirely surprising given that the film’s based on a graphic novel, and thankfully the film is at the very least somewhat aware of its own shortcomings. For example, there are some really funny moments of dark comedy through the film’s use of cynical narration. I also feel like Fincher is self-inserting himself in Fassbender’s character here (it’s kinda obvious if you’re familiar with his other work), but that ultimately doesn’t lead to a new, unique insight. It’s not a secret metaphor for filmmaking or Fincher’s career, at least I’m not seeing that. At most it just feels like Fincher taking a laugh at himself. It’s also not really reinventing the wheel when it comes to the way that it explores the serial killer as a cinematic archetype. Instead, this movie is at its best when Fincher’s finding new ways to present familiar ideas. The set pieces are pretty decent, he still knows how to bring the tension, shoot with precision and use great sound design & score. His use of songs from The Smiths adds a cool stylish touch, or it comments on scenes in an ironic way. Again, the sum doesn’t add up to something special or unique. It’s simple genre trash that's made with a lot of skill and sleek style.

5.5/10

I saw this film at the cinema. The sound system was terrific and made for a great movie experience: every crackle, bass boom, glitch, and song played was *felt*.

Fassbender's performance was played straight: no dramatics beyond what the film made. I've read the graphic novel on which the film is based, and it made for a more intense and action-packed experience. On the other hand, the film injected boredom and a kind of lightness that the graphic novel didn't have.

I don't think the film will have a sequel or prequel made, but it could happen, I suppose.

The soundtrack was magnificent: I've rarely heard Ross/Reznor make a more immersive and ambient soundtrack, which showed in the film. Fincher rid himself of the 'Panic Room' and 'Alien 3' theatrics with constant panning and special effects. I somehow feel that he's come into his own as a director more now than ever.

I guess this film owes a lot to the old 'Le Samouraï' film, a masterful dance through the mundane and extraordinary life of a hit person.

The Smiths. I love The Smiths. It was nice to hear some of their songs played throughout the film. I nearly wish they'd played Johnny Marr's guitar solo in 'Shoplifters Of The World (Unite and Take Over)', but it was cut off, which was perhaps for the best. A minor thing.

Tilda Swinton played her role low-handed. Talk about a character having come to terms;: perhaps they'd always been at peace with potential work outcome.

Part of me would like to rework the script, but then, I believe it was first worked on twenty years ago; that script may have seen some revision over decades.

All in all: this film is really worth seeing. The views, vistas, colours, the mundane, most acting... I loved the rhythm of the film; I can't say one part of the film is better than another, which is often the case for Fincher films, for me.

I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting, but this movie was not whatever I was expecting.

An interesting film, that for me at least is in the upper tier of movies for the year (not quite the top tier but still up there) but I can say most assuredly it's not a movie for everyone. The only real way it's similar to John Wick is that it has some element of a revenge movie plot and the rest of it, the tone, the setting, the commentary, the style is very much it's own thing.

It's a much more slow-burn style of revenge movie as opposed to your John Wicks or The Equalizer. I think I'd put it more in the bucket with something like The Covenant, slow movie with action but the action is less the point and focus of the movie than other elements.

Performances are solid across the board, I enjoyed the writing and pacing as well. I think it's a movie that will find it's audience although probably not as large as Fincher's best works. But honestly, in a year where we get a new solid Fincher, Scorsese and Nolan I'm not going to complain too much lol.