9/12 ForReel Score | 4/5 stars

David Fincher is one of our most singular filmmakers. His films span a variety of genres and tones, but one thing they all have in common is precision of filmmaking, with each performance, shot, and cut being careful, measured, and placed together meticulously. It's fitting then that his new film The Killer is about a man with some similarities. Michael Fassbender's titular character is a hitman who insists he is only successful because of the careful, measured, and meticulous way he plans his hits.

That's not to say that the film is autobiographical, but also, it's not not autobiographical. Told in six chapters and an epilogue, each taking place in a different city, with a different target, it's also a return to form.

As the film opens, Fassbender's unnamed character is in Paris waiting for a target to arrive. In voiceover, he tells us that if you are unprepared to deal with boredom, you are not suited to this work. Days pass with him watching, doing yoga, eating McDonald's, watching, explaining his German-tourist-inspired "camouflage", listening to The Smiths, and watching until finally the target arrives. He sets about preparing his weapon, lining up the shot and then misses. The rest of the film follows him dealing with the consequences of not completing the job.

Fassbender is excellent throughout, both on screen and in voiceover. His character speaks confidently in voiceover about the need for detachment and calm, cool, dispassionate professionalism. On-screen, the character appears to be that, except for all the moments the tumult of emotions beneath the surface peek through (which is a lot). Playing that contradiction with such a fine degree of difference is no easy task, and Fassbender again shows that he's one of our best working actors by threading that needle expertly.

A late scene in the film opposite Tilda Swinton features a conversation over dinner in which Fassbender says almost nothing aloud but conveys everything he's feeling with body language, and that's before we even discuss Swinton's performance of a character coming face to face with a fate she knew was coming but has presumed was further away. To say much more would spoil it, but it is one of the best-acted scenes of the year.

Fassbender also brings excellent physicality to the role, not only in the way his character walks, talks, and pulls a trigger but also in a spectacularly choreographed fight against a character known only as "The Brute", played by Sala Baker (best known for playing Sauron in The Lord of the Rings) that does a great job of showing off what speed and precision look like against raw power.

If the story of The Killer is one of a man doing his best not to let his emotions get in the way of his professionalism after a rare miss in his storied career, it's hard not to think that Fincher is telling his own story here. Whichever film you believe might be his "miss", I will leave it to you, but despite the calculating, ultra-precise demeanour his films might convey, it's clear he's a man who cares deeply, just like the titular killer.

For some viewers, The Killer might be off-putting - not because of the violence, but because the character is trying so hard to remain detached that the film might be difficult to connect with if you can't get on its wavelength. For those that can, though, The Killer will be a pleasure to watch, and even if one doesn't connect with it, it's so exceptionally well made that it's definitely worth two hours of your time.

MOVIE REVIEW: "The Killer" Hits The Mark