The Killer (2023)

Film and Plot Synopsis

A man solitary and cold, methodical, and unencumbered by scruples or regrets, the killer waits in the shadows, watching for his next target. And yet the longer he waits, the more he thinks he’s losing his mind, if not his cool. A brutal, bloody, and stylish noir story of a professional assassin lost in a world without a moral compass, this is a case study of a man alone, armed to the teeth and slowly losing his mind. (Courtesy of Netflix)

‘The Killer’ Movie Summary

The film opens with an unnamed assassin (Micheal Fassbender) patiently waiting for his target to arrive at a Parisian hotel room. While he waits, the killer works through his routine to prepare for his job, including exercising, listening to music, and checking his weapon. The killer also talks to his handler, an attorney and the killer’s former university law professor, Edward “Eddie” Hodges (Charles Parnell). Eddie emphasizes to the killer the importance of completing the assignment. The killer communicates that he will only wait two additional days for the target before he gives up on the assignment.

The killer continues to wait and continues to stress his mantra of rules, including the importance that he places on his cynicism and lack of empathy for his chosen profession. All the while, the killer continues to become more sleep deprived. Fortunately, the killer’s target arrives at the hotel accompanied by a dominatrix (Monique Ganderton). The killer sets up for his shot and works to slow down his heart rate. Unfortunately, the killer misses his target and accidentally kills the dominatrix who inadvertently steps in front of the bullet just as the killer shoots. With a body on the ground and his target now out of range, the killer flees the scene on his e-scooter, dropping potential pieces of evidence all across Paris. He avoids the police and the target’s bodyguards and makes it to the airport. He boards a plane and flies to the United States under one of his various fake identities.

From the United States, the killer returns to his remote compound in the Dominican Republic. Upon arrival, he finds that his place has been broken into by unknown individuals and that his girlfriend, Magdala (Sophie Charlotte), has been seriously injured and is in the hospital. The killer visits an unconscious Magdala who is being watched over by her brother Marcus (Emiliano Pernia). Marcus informs him that Magdala was tortured and interrogated by two assassins, one man and one woman. Magdala was able to injure the male torturer and escaped.

The killer uses the information to locate a taxi driver who drove the torturers to his remote compound. The taxi driver, Leo (Gabriel Polanco), provides him with information about the two assassins, the man whom Leo refers to as the Brute and a woman who looked like a Q-Tip. After extracting the information, the killer shoots and kills Leo, breaking one of his rules – fight only the battles you are paid to fight. The killer then sets out on a mission to identify and kill those responsible for hurting Magdala and trying to kill him.

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 (Michael Fassbender)

His first stop is in New Orleans to visit Eddie’s office. The killer sneaks into the building and office by disguising himself as a custodial worker. The killer forces Eddie’s secretary, Dolores (Kerry O’Malley), to tie Eddie and herself up. The killer destroys all the electronic records of his work with Eddie and then attempts to extract information from Eddie as to who was sent to the killer’s home and by whom. When Eddie refuses to reveal the information, the killer shoots Eddie in the chest with a nail gun in an attempt to torture the information out of his former handler. Unfortunately, Eddie refuses to reveal any information and dies quicker then the killer expected. Dolores offers to show the killer the information he seeks from her personal paper files in her home. In return, she asks the killer to give her a quick and non-suspicious death so her children can claim a life insurance payout. After retrieving the information from Dolores’ home, the killer breaks Dolores’ neck and shoves her down a flight of stairs, breaking another one of his rules – do not show empathy. Before leaving Louisiana, the killer disposes of the various pieces of Eddie’s body.

The killer drives to St. Petersburg, Florida, the location of the male assassin. The killer identifies the assassin (Sala Baker) from his limp due to the injury that Magdala inflicted upon him. The killer drugs the assassin’s pit bull and enters the house in the night after the assassin comes home from a bar. However, the assassin is not caught unaware and battles the killer. Ultimately, the killer shoots and kills the assassin, but takes a severe beating. The killer barely outruns the now conscious pit bull and then sets the assassin’s house on fire with a Molotov cocktail.

The killer then heads to Beacon, New York to locate the female assassin. He tracks her to a stylish gourmet restaurant where the female assassin (Tilda Swinton) is known personally. The killer sits down at her table much to the female assassin’s surprise. She partakes in her “last supper” and engages the killer in a conversation of why he has chosen to confront her rather than just kill her. After the dinner, the two leave the restaurant quietly and walk into a park where the killer plans to kill her. Once in the park, the female assassin feigns a trip down some stairs. She asks the killer for help, and he shoots her in the head. The killer moves the body and notices that the female assassin had a knife concealed in her hand.

The killer’s final stop is in Chicago – the location of the client who retained him for the hit on the original target. The client is billionaire venture capitalist Henderson “Clay” Claybourne (Arliss Howard). Clay lives in an upscale penthouse with state-of-the-art security. The killer follows Clay for several days and learns the billionaire’s routine. The killer discovers a way to gain access to Clay’s penthouse and does so. He confronts Clay at gunpoint and inquires if the billionaire ordered the retaliatory hit out of personal grievance. Clay proclaims that he holds no personal animosity against the killer and as a first-time client of a hitman, simply followed the recommendation of Eddie for the “trail to be scrubbed.” The killer notices Clay’s general indifference and spares Clay’s life. However, the killer promises Clay a slow death if he ever comes after the killer again.

The film ends with the killer returning to the Dominican Republic. He settles in for a quiet life at his remote compound with a recovering Magdala.