One doesn’t need a film studies degree to understand the appeal of assassin protagonists to storytellers. As far as plot is concerned, it’s a career that is specifically about conflict, comes pre-packaged with life-or-death stakes, and inherently features elements of secrecy; with the main character, there is moral dubiousness to play around with that is generally paired with a personal code of ethics formed by dangerous past experience. Mix in a love interest who compromises the work, a handler who may or may not be trustworthy, a powerful/unusual mark, and a mysterious/ rich client, and the rest is just details. It’s a well-worn cinematic formula, but with enough ingenuity and creativity also applied, it can manifest phenomenal results.
Release Date: October 27, 2023 (Theaters), November 10, 2023 (Netflix)
Directed By: David Fincher
Written By: Andrew Kevin Walker
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Arliss Howard, Charles Parnell, Sala Baker, and Tilda Swinton
Rating: R for strong violence, language and brief sexuality
Runtime: 118 minutes
