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| “ | My process is purely logistical, narrowly focused by design. I'm not here to take sides. It's not my place to formulate any opinion. No one who can afford me, needs to waste time winning me to some cause. I serve no god, or country. I fly no flag. If I'm effective, it's because of one simple fact: I. Don't. Give. A. Fuck. | „ |
| ~ The Killer describing himself and his profession. |
| “ | I'm curious. I break into your home in the middle of the night, with a silenced pistol, and you have no idea, why I might be here? If I have to come back, maybe a radioactive speck on the lip of your favorite coffee mug. A slow death, mind you, from painful facial necrosis. Or a tragic misstep into your penthouse elevator shaft. But I promise, I'll find something fitting. | „ |
| ~ The Killer threatening Claybourne if he ever crosses him again. |
The Killer is the titular main protagonist of the 2023 action-noir of the same name and the French comic series the film was based off of.
He is an enigmatic assassin who is known to be a professional when it comes to carrying out his kills. However, when a contract goes wrong and his girlfriend is targeted, he begins an international hunt for the people responsible where he learns about the conspiracy behind the botched hit.
He was portrayed by Michael Fassbender, who also played Burke in Jonah Hex, the younger version of Magneto in the X-Men film series, Edwin Epps in 12 Years a Slave, Connor O'Reily in Fish Tank, David 8 in Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, the title character in the 2015 film Macbeth and voiced Logan in Fable III.
Personality[]
Judging from his inner monologues, the Killer is a serious, professional, apathetic, cold and calculating assassin who is very meticulous when it comes to his job. Able to pull off effective kills and get away without getting caught, he also appears to have a bit of an arrogant side to himself as well. He also shows to possess a mild sense of humor too, commenting on how the Expert's head looks like a Q-Tip. He rarely speaks throughout the film, mostly having inner discussions with himself inside of his head. Unfortunately, despite his professionalism and pragmatic nature, he is capable of making mistakes such as when he misses his original target and hits a dominatrix instead. He also accidentally kills his handler Hodges after using a nail gun. Afterwards, he struggles to regain his composure and starts to slowly lose his cool. The Killer also harbors an cynical viewpoint of the world around him, commenting on humanity's apathetic nature, which makes his lack of empathy effective when he's carrying out his contracts.
However, that doesn't mean to say that he is incapable of caring about other people. The Killer feels a genuine affection for his girlfriend Magdala, which spurs him to take revenge on the people who tortured her. As he hunts down the people who targeted him, he proves to be an efficient planner when it comes to the execution. He places tranquilizers in some raw meat to take the Brute's dog out of commission and was aware that the Expert was lying about falling over, spurring him to shoot her. When he reaches Claybourne, the man who ordered the Killer dead in the first place, he spares him but leaves him with a warning about what would happen if he comes after him again. The Killer either does this because he didn't think Claybourne was worth it, or because killing him would bring down more heat then he's accustomed with.
The Killer also possesses some rules of his own that prevent him from making any mistake. However, after his botched hit and Magdala's attack, he begins to unravel as he targets the people who are hunting him down.
Biography[]
Background[]
Nothing is known of the Killer's past, but he later became a assassin whom eliminate targets in return for money. At some point, he became a romantic relationship with Magdala, whom is aware of his profession.
The Killer[]
The Killer first appears to be monitoring a Paris hotel room waiting for his intended target. He practices Yoga, listens to music and talks with his handler on the phone, attorney Edward 'Eddie' Hodges. Having been waiting five days for his mark to make an appearance, the Killer is on edge and wonders if this job is a bad idea. The assassin is shown to be patient and methodical. He builds redundancies into his plans. He likes to observe the cities in which he operates and observes the people in these cities and their daily routines. His identity while he is on the road is of a German tourist. However, on the sixth day, his target arrives and the Killer prepares with his long-range sniper rifle. However, when he takes the shot, a dominatrix that the target brought with him takes the bullet instead, spurring the Killer to flee on an e-scooter. When the Killer informs Hodges about his failure, he learns that the window of opportunity is now closed and Hodges must do damage control.
After arriving at his hideout in the Dominican Republic, he realizes that someone has broken in and trashed the entire place. He also learns that his girlfriend Magdala had been attacked as well and is now in the intensive care unit. Arriving at the hospital, he learns from Magdala's brother that there were two assassins: a big guy who had received a wound in the leg and woman who resembled a Q-Tip. They had intended to interrogate Magdala about the Killer's whereabouts, but she didn't give him up. Vowing to get revenge for Magdala, he learns that they took a green-roofed taxi and had been driven to a private airport. Knowing that there is only one company in the whole country with those kind of cabs, he interrogates the driver Leo about their whereabouts. After learning about their appearances and where they went next, he kills Leo and decides to hunt down the two assassins, breaking his first rule of "Fighting only the battle you're paid for."
Knowing that Hodges most likely sent the assassins, he travels to New Orleans, Louisiana to confront him. Posing as a custodial worker and infiltrating Hodge's office, the Killer threatens Hodge's secretary Dolores to restrain them both. After cleaning out evidence of their connection, the Killer interrogates Hodges about the assassins identity using a nail gun. Hodges reveals that the client was angry that the assassination went south and wanted retribution, which Hodges agreed to without knowing that the Killer would return home. As Hodges tries to get the Killer to leave, he shoots Hodges and orders him to reveal the addresses and identities of the assassins who attacked Magdala. However, Hodges dies due to blood loss. Dolores agrees to help the Killer, as long as he makes her death look like a suicide so that her children receive her life insurance. Arriving at Dolores's home, the Killer learns of their whereabouts and then kills Dolores by snapping her neck.
Learning that the Brute lives in St. Petersberg, Fl, the Killer departs and finds the assassin by identifying his limp. Following the Brute throughout the day, the Killer waits until the Brute leaves for gambling in town to break into his house. However, he had to drug the Brute's pit bull to make sure that it didn't attack. As the Killer hides in the house, he is suddenly ambushed by the Brute and an intense fight ensues. As the Killer attempts to block the Brute's blows and get a lethal shot in, he suffers numerous injuries and is nearly killed himself. However, after the Brute accidentally stabs his leg with a broken table, the Killer manages to escape into the bathroom as the Brute fires his own weapon. Waiting for the perfect moment, the Killer manages to make shoot rounds into the Brute, finishing him with a final headshot. Afterwards, the Killer constructs a molotov cocktail and throws it into the house, burning away the evidence. As he makes his departure, he nearly avoids the Brute's dog as he leaves the scene. Next, he makes his way to Beacon, NY to find the Expert.
Arriving at the Expert's home, he watches as she departs her home and travels to a gourmet restaurant where the two come face to face. Knowing that she is most likely going to die, the Expert strikes up conversation with the Killer to stall for time. She brings up how the Killer is slowly losing his professionalism the more he continues on this question if he's really in the game. As the Expert explains that attacking Magdala wasn't personal, she . explains that the Brute was the one who decided to torture Magdala. She then does an analogy considering a bear and a hunter, with the Killer being the hunter and the Expert being the bear. As she finishes a "last supper" of whisky, the two then walk outside for a slight stroll. While walking up some stairs, the Expert trips and asks for the Killer to help her up. Sensing that she is planning to kill him, the Killer shoots her in the head without any hesitation. Seeing a concealed knife on the ground, the Killer reflects that trusting others will only get you killed.
As his vengeance nears its conclusion, he travels to Chicago to confront Henderson "Clay" Claybourne, a millionaire who was the client that sent the assassins after the Killer and Magdala. Before he confronts Clay, the Killer transfers all of his finances to the Dominican Republic and begins to monitor Clay's routine so that he can arrive at the right moment. Using some items he purchases off of Amazon, the Killer clones Claybourne's key card and then waits for him to arrive. The Killer confronts Claybourne at gunpoint in his penthouse, asking him why he ordered the retaliatory hit. Claybourne claims that he has no personal problem with him. After the miss in Paris, Claybourne claims that Hodges called him and informed him of the miss. Claybourne was OK as mistakes do happen, and it was Hodges who sold him on the idea of a cleanup to prevent any blow-back from his target. As a first-time client of a hit-man, agreed to pay Hodges for "the trail to be scrubbed" for an additional $150,000. The Killer spares Claybourne, though promising him a "slow death" if Claybourne ever comes for him. Later, The Killer returns to the Dominican Republic and sits next to a recovering Magdala.
Victims[]
In total, the Killer has sixteen confirmed kills in the movie, with his total count being an unknown number.
- In the opening credits, multiple scenes appear of the Killer carrying out nine hits with varying methods, such as poisoning, suffocation and other lethal methods.
- The Dominatrix- While on the job in Paris, he attempts to assassinate his target who brought her for entertainment. As he tries to kill him with a sniper's bullet, he accidentally shoots the dominatrix instead, kickstarting the events of the film.
- Leo the Taxi Driver- Hoping to find the whereabouts of the Brute and Expert, he confronts the driver about their whereabouts. Leo explains as much as he can and swears to never tell anyone about him. However, the Killer shoots him in the head with a silenced pistol. While Leo wasn't aware of what the two assassins did to Magdala, he was willing to drive them and didn't report the attack in.
- Edward 'Eddie' Hodges- The Killer's former law professor and handler. He was willing to put the hit out on the Killer to cover up the failed assassination, despite the fact that the Killer has been loyal for so long. Interrogated about the whereabouts of the two assassins, the Killer puts three nails in Eddie's chest to make him more cooperative. Unfortunately, the nails prove to be too fatal.
- Janice- Hodge's assistant and secretary. After Hodge's death, she agrees to reveal the location of the two killers as long as he makes her death like an accident. Wanting her kids to have her life insurance policy, she agrees to be killed after she gives up the information. The Killer snaps her neck when she least expects it and she falls down the stairs.
- The Brute- One of the assassins who attacked Magdala and severely injured her. After the Killer breaks into his house, the two hitmen engage in a brutal hand to hand combat battle that leads to many injuries. After the Killer hides in the bathroom, the Brute follows with a gun of his own. Hiding behind a closed door, the Killer shoots a few rounds into the Brute's chest and the shoots him in the head.
- The Expert- The second assassin who was also there at the Killer's home. Meets the Killer in a restaurant where she tries to convince the Killer that it wasn't personal. As the two depart, she attempts to play on his sympathy by pretending to fall while concealing a knife. However, the Killer sees right through it and kills her by shooting her in the head.
Despite Claybourne being the one who ordered the retaliatory hit, the Killer spares him because the millionaire's death would bring down too much heat, but he still threatens to kill him if he comes after him again.
Quotes[]
| “ | Of those who like to put their faith in mankind's inherent goodness, I have to ask- based on what, exactly? | „ |
| ~ The Killer's nihilistic philosophy. |
| “ | Stick to your plan. Anticipate, don't improvise. Trust no one. Never yield an advantage. Fight only the battle you're paid to fight. | „ |
| ~ The Killer reciting his rules. |
| “ | From the beginning of history, the few have always exploited the many. This is the cornerstone of civilization. The blood in the mortar that binds all bricks. Whatever it takes, make sure you're one of the few, not one of the many. | „ |
| ~ The Killer reflecting on human society. |
| “ | The Client - Claybourne: Well what is it exactly I can do for you? The Killer: I came to show you how easily one might get to you, Mr. Claybourne. And to ask, do you and I have a problem? |
„ |
| ~ The Killer confronting the Client. |
| “ | Forbid empathy. Empathy is weakness. Weakness is vulnerability. | „ |
| ~ The Killer's recurring quote. |
| “ | Well, this... this is new. WWJWBD: What would John Wilkes Booth do? | „ |
| ~ The Killer after he botches his assassination. |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- In 2008, David Fincher originally thought of Brad Pitt for the role of The Killer, but Pitt said it was a little too "nihilistic" for him.
- He is insired by Jef Costello from Le Samourai.
- All of the Killer's aliases are based off of fictional television shows from 1970-1984.
- The Killer rarely blinks throughout the entire film.
- This film marks the first film Michael Fassbender done in four years, since X-Men: Dark Phoenix.