The Killer (2023)

Rules are the Killer’s whole personality, recited like a guy reading his own LinkedIn profile, and the movie’s best joke is that he keeps botching them. That joke runs dry fast. Michael Fassbender narrates nearly every move in the same flat voice, and by the third city the routine of fake IDs, rental cars and stakeouts starts to feel like a checklist. Then David Fincher drops in a fight in a dark Florida house that’s brutal, clumsy and incredible, two big men wrecking a living room. Tilda Swinton is a delight as the Expert, telling a long joke about a bear over a fancy dinner while trying to talk her way out. The Smiths on his headphones are perfect. The fake names on his IDs come from old sitcom characters, a gag you’ll catch if you were raised on reruns. It holds an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. A 7.1 because it’s precise and darkly funny even when the story is thin. $252 says you narrate your own grocery run in your head tomorrow and follow none of the rules.

What works: Fincher’s control is razor sharp, the Florida fight is a standout, and Tilda Swinton steals her one long scene.

What doesn’t: The constant narration repeats itself, and the revenge plot is a simple checklist that never builds much tension or surprise.

Who it’s for: Fans of slow, cold, meticulous thrillers who enjoy watching a professional’s process more than the plot itself.