David Fincher has the reputation of being one of the most meticulous, demanding and macabre directors in American film history. Even actors of the calibre of Robert Downey Jr and Jake Gyllenhaal have struggled with the dozens upon dozens of takes he demands to create his vision.
So it makes sense then that Fincher would be attracted to The Killer, as it’s about a detail-orientated professional assassin who prides himself on knowing exactly what makes people tick and how things are going to unfold. That way, he’s able to stay hidden, kill his target, and then slide away unnoticed.
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Based on Alexis “Matz” Nolent and Lucky Jacamon’s comic book of the same-name, The Killer revolves around an unnamed assassin, played by Michael Fassbender, botching his latest murder in Paris. As he tries to leave France, he notices that things aren’t quite adding up and soon he becomes embroiled in a manhunt through the Dominican Republic, New Orleans, Miami and Chicago.
Your reaction to The Killer’s opening will probably indicate how much enjoyment you’ll get from the stylish and sleek psychological crime thriller. For the opening 10 minutes, Fincher does his best Alfred Hitchcock-directing-Rear Window impression as he depicts Fassbender’s assassin using an abandoned WeWork coworking space to stake out the Parisian hotel across the street.
While all we see is his monotonous routine, which includes drinking water from his tin cup, practising yoga, eating hard-boiled eggs and only listening to the music of The Smiths, we also hear his inner thoughts as he narrates his unique way of life and explains why his lack of heart and coldness makes him perfect for his profession.
The longer the scene goes on, the more you can’t help but wonder why we’re watching the titular killer do absolutely nothing. It’s so unlike anything we’ve ever seen from an American assassin film before that it actually becomes comical. Which is entirely the point. Throughout this sequence, and ultimately the rest of the movie, Fincher looks to play with the expectations of the audience before either building suspense or delivering sudden jolts of violence and action.
Once The Killer is on the move, Fincher’s stranglehold of his audience becomes even tighter. There are moments when his decision to zig rather than zag will leave viewers feeling somewhat unsatisfied. But there are also fight and torture sequences that are so expertly crafted you’ll be catching your breath in both surprise and exhilaration.
It’s not just Fincher’s use of the camera and his choice of visuals – especially his noir-inspired collaboration with cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt – that allows The Killer to captivate, he has also always had the innate ability to pick the perfect actor for the right character. The Killer is no exception.
It actually marks Fassbender’s first performance in four years, as he’s spent the last few years being a racing driver. The Oscar-nominated Irish actor shows no signs that he’s slowed down, as he effortlessly tows the line between cool, intelligent, depraved and wary. It’s a perfect and timely reminder of Fassbender’s steely presence and is his best performance since 2015, when he appeared in Slow West, Macbeth and Steve Jobs.
Fassbender is very much helped in these pursuits by the rest of The Killer’s fine ensemble, with Kelly O’Malley, Charles Parnell and especially Tilda Swinton each delivering scene-stealing turns. In fact, Swinton and Fassbender’s tense stand-off in an upscale restaurant might just be one of the finest film scenes of the year.
While it doesn’t have the thematic depth or resonance to quite matchup to Fincher’s masterpieces Se7en, The Social Network and Zodiac, The Killer is undoubtedly a slowly engrossing and subversive take on the assassin film. If you’re someone who likes to half-watch a movie while being on their phone, then you’re likely to miss out on or overlook what makes it so special. It demands your full attention. Those of you who do become invested, will be fully rewarded.
The Killer will be released in select cinemas and on Netflix next Friday
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
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Tewellah by Nawal Zoghbi is out now.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Key developments in maritime dispute
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Bookshops: A Reader's History by Jorge Carrión (translated from the Spanish by Peter Bush),
Biblioasis
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
Second ODI
England 322-7 (50 ovs)
India 236 (50 ovs)
England win by 86 runs
Next match: Tuesday, July 17, Headingley
TOUCH RULES
Touch is derived from rugby league. Teams consist of up to 14 players with a maximum of six on the field at any time.
Teams can make as many substitutions as they want during the 40 minute matches.
Similar to rugby league, the attacking team has six attempts - or touches - before possession changes over.
A touch is any contact between the player with the ball and a defender, and must be with minimum force.
After a touch the player performs a “roll-ball” - similar to the play-the-ball in league - stepping over or rolling the ball between the feet.
At the roll-ball, the defenders have to retreat a minimum of five metres.
A touchdown is scored when an attacking player places the ball on or over the score-line.
Test squad: Azhar Ali (captain), Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan(wicketkeeper), Musa Khan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah
Twenty20 squad: Babar Azam (captain), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Musa Khan, Shadab Khan, Usman Qadir, Wahab Riaz
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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
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APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
UAE squad to face Ireland
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri (vice-captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmad, Zawar Farid, CP Rizwaan, Aryan Lakra, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Basil Hameed, Kashif Daud, Adithya Shetty, Vriitya Aravind
The Case For Trump
By Victor Davis Hanson
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