Which actor stars as the assassin in Fincher's 2023 film The Killer?

Michael Fassbender stars as the assassin in David Fincher’s 2023 film The Killer. The character is a professional hitman whose carefully controlled routine collapses after he misses a target and accidentally injures another person.

Unlike many screen assassins, Fassbender’s character is never given a conventional name. He is identified only by the title “the Killer,” reinforcing the film’s focus on anonymity, preparation, and professional identity. His narration is filled with rules about patience, discipline, and avoiding emotional decisions.

The film adapts the French graphic-novel series The Killer, written by Alexis “Matz” Nolent and illustrated by Luc Jacamon. Fincher reunited with screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker, who also wrote Se7en. The production’s cool, methodical style was influenced by Jean-Pierre Melville’s 1967 crime film Le Samouraï.

The Killer premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in September 2023 before a limited theatrical release and Netflix streaming release. Viewers sometimes confuse Fassbender’s role with the supporting assassins known as the Brute and the Expert.