The Killer EXPLAINED | Everything YOU Missed 

The Killer EXPLAINED | Everything YOU Missed
David Fincher's THE KILLER (2023) is now on Netflix! What is THE KILLER all about? How did the screenwriter and director structure the film? What's the film's premise? And how does THE KILLER tackle character development? I break it all down and explain it in this video!
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==================== TRANSCRIPT ========================
David Fincher’s THE KILLER on Netflix was my second favorite film of 2023! I love the premise of the film and the subtleties found in the character development. And the ending is spectacular.
What was The Killer about and what did you miss? In today’s video, I’ll explain The Killer!
My name is Jay Sherer, and I’m a screenwriter and a director who loves great stories. By the end of this video, I’ll try to lay out The Premise, the basic Structure, and the Character Development found in The Killer.
Chapter 1 - in PARIS: The Target
The Killer has posted up in a room at an abandoned WeWork building across from a hotel...
The Killer goes on to give us a second philosophical perspective to consider: “Do what thou wilt will be the whole of the law.”
To me, The Killer has very clearly painted a picture of himself as a nihilist.
The Killer is an assassin…
He’s a nihilist, which means he doesn’t believe his actions have any significance-killing humans isn’t much different than squashing an ant…
His goal is to be as robotic as possible…
Success is discipline and repetitious, like a machine…
The Killer waits patiently for a clean shot to materialize and controls his heart rate. He listens to music that he says helps calm him. Interestingly, a line from the Smiths’ song states: “I am human and I need to be loved…”
We hear the mantra recited: “Stick to his plan. Anticipate, don’t improvise. Trust no one. Never yield an advantage. Fight only the battle you’re paid to fight. Forbid empathy. Empathy is weakness. Weakness is vulnerability. Each and every step of the way ask yourself: what’s in it for me? This is what it takes. What you must commit yourself to if you want to succeed.” We’ll come back to this mantra several times.
He lines up his shot, fires, and… he hits the prostitute, NOT The Target.
After all these platitudes about what it takes to succeed, he FAILS.
Chapter 2 - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC/The Hideout…
Plot Point 1 was him killing the prostitute rather than The Target.
The first third of Act 2 is called The Hideout…
The Killer takes a jeep across the country to a remote mansion. He goes on to scour the city looking for green taxi cabs.
Act 2
Chapter 3 - New Orleans/The Lawyer.
The Killer shoots Hodges with a staple gun and watches him drown in his own blood.
Midpoint: Hodges & Dolores killed, and The Killer has the info he was looking for.
Chapter 4 - FLORIDA/The Brute
The Killer drugs The Brute’s guard dog, then enters his house and kills him.
Chapter 5 - NEW YORK/ The Expert
The Killer follows The Expert-played by Tilda Swinton-to a ritzy restaurant.
The key takeaway here is that the two characters are juxtaposed against one another.
Having finished all the whiskey tasters, she pours herself some whiskey from the bottle. The Killer takes that whiskey and gulps it down. That moment is CRITICAL, but we’ll come back to that. For now, just know that The Killer drinking the whiskey from her glass is Plot Point 2…
Chapter 6 - CHICAGO/ The Client
The Killer arrives in Chicago to hunt down The Client
The really important line here, when talking about how he might kill The Client: “maybe a radioactive speck on the lip of your favorite coffee mug. A slow death, mind you, from painful facial necrosis…”
The Epilogue - Dominican Republic
The first shot we get is a close up of a coffee cup, which he takes to his girlfriend on the deck of their amazing place in the Dominican Republic.
To me this suggests that his former worldview has collapsed. He’s just one of us, now…
Except, as he sits back in his chair: his face twitches…