A memorable fight in The Killer is one of the few recent action sequences that measure up to the heights of John Wick: Chapter 4. The Killer follows an unnamed assassin (Michael Fassbender) who becomes involved in an international manhunt following a hit gone wrong. The latest movie from thriller master David Fincher, the dark and measured Netflix film contains many of the hallmarks of Fincher’s distinct filmmaking style; however, The Killer also sees Fincher greatly stepping into the action genre for the first time since his debut feature, the controversial Alien 3.
While The Killer is primarily situated within Fincher’s thriller wheelhouse, a highly choreographed combat sequence featuring the titular assassin is all-out action. Moreover, the scene is quickly generating buzz as one of the best fight scenes of the year
The fight, while still brilliantly choreographed by The Killer's fight coordinator Dave Macomber, ditches John Wick’s ostentatious displays of martial arts prowess in favor of recognizable brutality; each blow makes a vivid impact, underscored by textured sound design and the gradual tearing down of both the environment and the fighters. With this realism, the sequence evokes an emotional intensity that’s largely absent from the John Wick movies. Wick’s (Reeves) identity as an unstoppable killing machine means that many John Wick action sequences, while thrilling, lack stakes. The Killer’s fight works because the hulking Floridian represents a tangible threat, imbuing the entire sequence with the real possibility that the Killer could actually lose.