the killer 2022 movie review

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors.

Now streaming on:

In many ways, “The Killer” is exactly what you’d expect from a David Fincher movie centered on a hired assassin: a detail-rich procedural about what a hitman is forced to do as his calculated world implodes. And by telling this story of a deadly perfectionist who repeats phrases like "Forbid Empathy" to keep himself centered, Fincher leans into his reputation as a precise—almost obsessive—filmmaker. "The Killer" may be based on a graphic novel by Alexis “Matz” Nolent, but it feels like Fincher's most personal film to date.

Of course, it helps to have a leading man who’s proven himself adept at playing soulless monsters before and there are elements of David from “ Prometheus ” in what Michael Fassbender brings to Fincher's nameless protagonist. “The Killer” opens with a lengthy voiceover scene as we watch this assassin on a multi-day stakeout in Paris. He keeps an eye on the café below, dips out to McDonald's for protein, and listens to The Smiths on repeat (about a dozen songs from the landmark band give the film an incredible soundtrack and add to its deadpan humor). But he generally tries to blend in, noting that he picked his disguise as a German tourist because most French people avoid German tourists. In this character-defining prologue, Fincher and writer Andrew Kevin Walker (“ Seven ”) set the pace that nothing is rushed. It’s a deliberate peek into the mind of a murderer, someone who justifies his actions by noting how many people are born and die each day—anything he does is just a drop in a massive bucket.

After a few days in Paris, The Killer’s target finally appears in the penthouse across the street. And then something happens that never has happened to this film’s “hero”—he misses, hitting an innocent bystander instead of the intended victim. He immediately knows what this means and races home to the Dominican Republic to find his partner clinging to life. The clean-up crew has already come for both of them. It’s here where The Killer essentially breaks his own rules. He has stocked storage units in multiple cities and enough money in foreign accounts to never be seen again. He could run. But the man who has told himself never to improvise and always to keep things from getting personal goes in the other direction, trying to burn those who came into his house and those who hired them. Arliss Howard , Charles Parnell , and Tilda Swinton co-star, but this is basically a one-man show, the tale of an icy assassin forced to get a little hot.

One can sense Fincher's passion for this project in every frame as he returns to themes that have long interested him: obsession, perfectionism, and power. It helps a great deal that he brings along several of his most accomplished collaborators, including cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt (“ Gone Girl ”), editor Kirk Baxter (“ The Social Network ”), and even Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross to handle the score. On a technical level, “The Killer” hums like few films of its type in recent years just because of the pedigree of the team behind it. One senses they all have the same perfectionism as the notoriously detailed filmmaker, and this is the kind of production that rewards that sense of detail. It’s not a film that should be rough around the edges—it succeeds because it’s as finely tuned as one of The Killer’s jobs.

Of course, some will question why we're watching an amoral monster try to save himself, and it’s worth noting that Fincher and Walker don’t shy away from this. I kept expecting “The Killer” to try and soften its leading man, but there’s no escaping that he is a cold-blooded murderer. When he snapped one victim's neck, I heard a gasp in my film festival audience, like they expected mercy. That’s not an item in this character’s go-bag, and his completely cynical and procedural approach to murder will turn some people off. This is not a story of redemption but precision; it's what happens when one of the most precise people in the world makes a mistake. Fincher and Walker rush the final act, especially the shortest epilogue ever, but that complaint may fade on second viewing as I believe it fits the no-nonsense approach of the title character.

All of this might make “The Killer” sound like a drag, but it’s worth noting that it’s actually one of Fincher's funniest films. There’s a phenomenal running bit about the assassin’s fake names. And there's a cavalcade of familiar brands like Starbucks, Amazon, WeWork, and even Wordle, a comment on a world that’s commodified and cold enough to allow a killer to slide through it unseen because people are too distracted by something else. He counts on that to do his job.

Finally, there’s the undeniable Fincher-ness of “The Killer.” One could see it as a filmmaker playing his greatest hits with his best bandmates again, but there’s something deeper at play here. This isn’t just the work of an artist repeating himself; it’s the work of one reworking his themes and obsessions into something brave and new. It ultimately asks if people like The Killer can shut the world out to get the job done. And, by extension, if a master like David Fincher can too.

This review was filed from the Chicago premiere at the 2023 Chicago International Film Festival. "The Killer" opens on October 27 th in theaters and will be on Netflix on November 10 th .

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

Now playing

You Can't Run Forever

Sheila O'Malley

Mother of the Bride

Marya e. gates.

Challengers

Matt zoller seitz.

Sweet Dreams

The Idea of You

Film credits.

The Killer (2023)

118 minutes

Michael Fassbender as The Killer

Arliss Howard as The Client - Claybourne

Charles Parnell as The Lawyer - Hodges

Gabriel Polanco as Leo

Kerry O'Malley as Dolores

Emiliano Pernia as Marcus

Sala Baker as The Brute

Sophie Charlotte as Magdala

Tilda Swinton as The Expert

Monique Ganderton as The Dominatrix

Kellan Rhude as Business Man

• David Fincher
• Andrew Kevin Walker

Cinematographer

• Erik Messerschmidt
• Kirk Baxter
• Atticus Ross
• Trent Reznor

Latest blog posts

Book Excerpt: Hollywood Pride by Alonso Duralde

Cannes 2024: Megalopolis, Bird, The Damned, Meeting with Pol Pot

Prime Video's Outer Range Opens Up in a Hole New Way in Season 2

The Ebert Fellows Go to Ebertfest 2024

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Movie Reviews

• LISTEN & FOLLOW
• Apple Podcasts
• Google Podcasts
• Amazon Music

Your support helps make our show possible and unlocks access to our sponsor-free feed.

What happens when a hit man misses his mark? 'The Killer' is about to find out

Justin Chang

Michael Fassbender plays an assassin on the run in The Killer. Netflix hide caption

Michael Fassbender plays an assassin on the run in The Killer.

David Fincher has had murder on his mind for so long, in thrillers like Se7en , Zodiac and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, that you almost have to laugh at his new movie's no-nonsense title: The Killer . It's adapted from a French graphic novel series by Alexis "Matz" Nolent and Luc Jacamon, about a hit man played here with cool precision by Michael Fassbender .

We never learn the killer's name; he has countless aliases and fake passports, which he uses to travel the globe, killing rich, powerful people at the behest of other rich, powerful people. He isn't troubled by questions of motive, let alone morality. For him, killing is just a job, one that demands the utmost commitment, patience and discipline, as he tells us in the acidly funny voiceover narration that runs through the movie.

The movie begins in Paris, where the killer has been hiding out for days in an empty WeWork space, waiting for his target, who lives in a swanky apartment across the street. We follow every detail of the killer's routine: the carefully scheduled naps, the fast-food runs, the yoga stretches he does to stay limber. He listens to The Smiths , his favorite band. And he uses a watch to monitor his pulse; his heart rate needs to be below 60 beats per minute when the time finally comes to pull the trigger.

Movie Interviews

Michael fassbender: portraying an addict's 'shame'.

But in a rare moment of bad luck for him, this particular job goes horribly awry, and he misses his mark. Amid the bloody fallout, he somehow manages a clean getaway: There's a beautifully edited sequence of Fassbender speeding through Paris at night on his motorcycle, discarding pieces of his rifle in different trash bins while Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross ' haunting electronic score surges in the background.

But the consequences of his mistake are immediate and devastating. Arriving back at his hideaway in the Dominican Republic, he finds that assailants have broken in and attacked his girlfriend, who barely managed to survive and is now hospitalized. The killer's employers, trying to mollify their disgruntled client, have clearly turned the tables on him — and he decides to repay them in kind. Killing, something that's so impersonal for him, has suddenly become deeply personal.

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'mank' leads oscar nominations in a year when it's easy to judge for yourself.

The plot, as laid out in Andrew Kevin Walker's perfectly paced script, is fairly standard revenge-thriller business. The killer's mission takes him to cities including New Orleans, New York and Chicago, where he breaks into his employers' office, gathers information and leaves a trail of bodies in his wake.

But the beauty of Fincher's filmmaking, as always, is in the ultra-meticulous details; this is a process movie in which the mundane becomes mesmerizing. The violence is startling but relatively brief. We spend a lot more time watching the killer make supply runs to hardware stores, Amazon delivery lockers and his own personal storage units around the country.

As in Fincher's 1999 classic, Fight Club , there's a whiff of late-capitalist satire here: After all, what is the killer but just another participant in the gig economy, only with above-average pay and especially lethal occupational hazards?

Who's Worth Your Trust In Fincher's Moody, Atmospheric 'Gone Girl'?

As he goes about his mission, the killer keeps repeating the same mantras: "Stick to the plan. Forbid empathy." The viewer, however, may feel sorry for some of the unlucky few who find themselves in the killer's sights — OK, maybe not the Brute, a hulking adversary who gets taken down in one bone-crunching, furniture-smashing action setpiece. But you can't help but feel for a rival assassin, played to perfection by Tilda Swinton in one exquisitely written and directed scene.

Spacey And Fincher Make A 'House Of Cards'

Fassbender's performance is also a thing of chilled beauty; like Alain Delon in Jean-Pierre Melville's 1967 hit-man classic, Le Samouraï , he gives a cipher-like man of action an undeniable glimmer of soul. Even as he dispenses his glib aphorisms and spills his trade secrets in his running commentary, Fassbender's killer retains a crucial air of mystery. No matter how carefully he plots his every move, he still proves capable of surprising himself and us.

I'm not suggesting his story cries out for a sequel, but by the time this very dark comedy reaches its strangely sunny ending, you're curious to see what job this killer — and Fincher himself — might take on next.

‘The Killer’ Film Review: Korean Thriller Can’t Escape Tired Action-Movie Tropes

The plot wavers between the familiar and the baffling, but the action delivers

Choi Jae-Hoon’s “The Killer” has it all: a missing young girl, a man in over his head and a conspiracy that goes all the way up to the top. If that sounds familiar, it’s because Choi’s film, though full of slick action, relies on familiar tropes from gritty thrillers of the past to make too much of a name for itself.

“The Killer” stars Jang Hyuk (Choi’s “The Swordsman”) as the titular killer, Bang Ui-gang, a semi-retired assassin-for-hire, eager to settle down with his wife (Lee Chae-young) and get into the home renovation business. She leaves him to go on an all-too-normal girls’ weekend, entrusting him with the responsibility of her friend’s stepdaughter, Kim Yoon-ji (Lee Seo-young), a 17-year-old girl with a wayward streak.

Ui-gang and Seo-young make for an odd pair: He’s a childless man in his 40s, with a stern, abiding sense of law and order, and she’s a teenager looking for a good time. But Seo-young’s wild streak lands her in trouble, and before he knows it, Ui-gang is searching all over town to get her back from meddlesome gangsters.

If the set-up sounds somewhat convoluted (how many people are tasked with taking care of their significant other’s friend’s nearly-adult child they’ve never met before?), then the plot that follows will feel equally hare-brained, if not entertaining, full of twists and turns that add plenty of suspense, assuming you don’t think too hard about them. Based on the popular 2018 novel by Bang Jin-Ho (initially titled “The Girl Deserves To Die”), “The Killer” keeps a steady focus on Ui-gang who is just as baffled, if not determined, to get through the events of the film as the audience.

Luckily, and perhaps where it counts the most, the action in “The Killer” is, well, pretty killer. Jang is a confident, competent leading man, slick and entertaining to watch, as gruff as he may come off to his peers and adversaries. Choi stages the action as an unforgiving and bloody melee, never quite letting the viewer forget that what’s happening is violent, with a very human cost. The neon interiors and narrow hallways make for a killer’s playground, and everything from guns to axes counts as a weapon. Jang is famous for choreographing his own fight scenes, and indeed, with any other star at the helm, “The Killer” would feel rote, if not far less lively.

Here too the cinematography feels surprising, the camera swooping and bouncing with a type of choreography of its own. More importantly, the action sequences are fun, full of personality and creative (if not a little gruesome) kills. Though “The Killer” is intended to contextualize itself in a genre, it’s often at its best when it’s bucking those tropes in lieu of sleek, dramatic action.

There have been a slew of revenge-centric action thrillers over the past few years, many (if not most) of which revolve around a missing girl. Whether she’s the protagonist’s wife, daughter, or wife’s friend’s daughter, the trope hovers around exhaustion. It would be one thing if Yoon-ji felt more distinctive in the film, but she’s tricky to nail down, inconsistent in wants and present on-screen only when convenient.

Indeed, “The Killer” slows when it addresses the problem of Yoon-ji. Ui-gang isn’t too keen on getting to know her, and in turn, the audience doesn’t get to either. Most of the women in the film are either helpless saints or cruel deviants, none of whom have extended screen time or legitimate development.

If only “The Killer” consisted of more action, then, because otherwise Choi’s film feels caught up in the who-what-when-where of it all. The first act of “The Killer” is so intent on stating and restating its premise that by the time the action kicks in, it’s been easy to forget what type of film it’s supposed to be. But as Jang kicks and punches and shoots his way through mansions and warehouses full of gangsters, there’s an unparalleled liveliness that makes it hard not to long for a sharper script, or at least a less complicated one. When it comes to a story we know well — the damsel in distress, her knight in bloody armor — cut the mythology and get to the slaying.

“The Killer” opens in U.S. theaters July 13.

The Killer Review

27 Oct 2023

The Killer (2023)

David Fincher is back on familiar terrain. His last film, 2020’s  Mank , felt like an unusual left-turn: a deeply personal period passion project, co-written with his late father, it was as sweepingly romantic as it was slyly cynical — but, with such a narrow focus and such niche preoccupations, it held less mainstream appeal than his usual fare. With  The Killer  (adapted from the French graphic novel  Le Tueur , by writer Matz and artist Luc Jacamon), the director returns to the kind of material that cemented his status as one of Hollywood’s most singular, incisive, ingenious genre filmmakers: bringing his unique artistic rigour to familiar blockbuster components.

It’s thrilling to see him back in the thriller world. A sweatily suspenseful opening sequence (the film comprises six chapters, plus prologue and epilogue; even the structure is neat) establishes the universe with ferocious clarity. As that prosaic title suggests, our focus is almost entirely on one assassin, a hitman-for-hire never named, and played with unblinking, icy intensity by Michael Fassbender — his first screen role in four years . When we meet him, he’s in the midst of a job: to take out a wealthy target in a luxury Paris hotel.

Through Fassbender’s coolly delivered, dry-as-dust voiceover, which falls somewhere between first-person novelistic narration and the character’s own internal monologue, we learn a little of what it takes to do what he does. He is pure efficiency, methodical to the nth degree; every scenario gamed, every outcome foreseen. He practises yoga and repeats meditative mantras (“Stick to the plan... Weakness is vulnerability”), which would sound like new-agey corporate motivation techniques, if they weren’t in service of murder. He listens to The Smiths to slow his resting heart rate, Morrissey’s morose warbling penetrating the film’s soundtrack throughout (and now, hilariously, forever associated with sociopaths). He is, in short, a well-oiled machine.

It is pure pleasure to luxuriate in imagery made with such obvious, deliberate care.

And then... something goes wrong. His Parisian hit — a simple “Annie Oakley” job, as The Killer puts it — goes awry, seemingly down to a very human distraction, sowing the first shred of doubt that this cold, heartless man is as robotically detached as he claims. It sets in motion a series of events that sees his stock- in-trade violence seep into his private life, initiating a jet-setting revenge yarn that recalls everything from  Death Wish  to  Kill Bill .

Though nothing quite matches that opening salvo for pure cut-glass tension, some brilliantly staged sequences soon follow. Particular shout-outs must go to a staggeringly well- choreographed fight with another man known only as ‘The Brute’, played by Sala Baker (aka Sauron from Peter Jackson’s  The Lord Of The Rings ), which could jostle  John Wick: Chapter 4  for best fight scene of the year; and a more cerebral stand-off with a fellow assassin, played with typical intrigue by Tilda Swinton .

Throughout it all, as you might well expect, Fincher’s filmmaking is immaculate. It is pure pleasure to luxuriate in imagery made with such obvious, deliberate care. You feel his precise framing, his careful composition, his notorious multiple takes. It seems, too, like Fincher is drawing on his past strengths: you can recognise the patient procedural plotting of  Seven  or  Zodiac , the nihilistic themes and sardonic narration of  Fight Club , the ruthless, unsettling violence of  The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo , the outlandish moral relativism of  Gone Girl .

But what does it all amount to? To the very end, The Killer remains something of a cipher, a blank canvas of a human. We are welcomed inside the head of this unthinkable perspective, without ever truly learning the whys or the wherefores. Is Fincher pondering the soul-cost that such a vocation might bring, a theme even the most recent Bond films have toyed with? Is it another angry screed on capitalism and masculinity? Should we even draw parallels between The Killer’s diligent approach to work and Fincher’s own fastidiousness (a lazy comparison, perhaps, but one the director seems to invite)? Or should we just take it all at face value — simply a slickly made genre exercise, enough on its own merits?

After such a strong build-up, the film’s ultimate arm’s-length aloofness might feel frustrating, especially in its muted finale. For a director who crafted two of the best endings in cinema history ( Fight Club  and  Seven ),  The Killer ’s climax, ultimately, proves to be curiously anticlimactic. David Fincher is unarguably a master filmmaker, so with every new film of his, fairly or not, you expect a masterpiece.  The Killer  doesn’t quite reach that level — but even then, most filmmakers would kill to make something this good.

Related Articles

Movies | 29 04 2022

Movies | 29 09 2023

Movies | 27 09 2023

Movies | 25 09 2023

Movies | 22 09 2023

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

• What's the Tomatometer®?
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening this week
• Top box office
• Coming soon to theaters
• Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

• Fandango at Home
• Netflix streaming
• Prime Video
• Most popular streaming movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Link to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
• The Fall Guy Link to The Fall Guy
• The Last Stop in Yuma County Link to The Last Stop in Yuma County

New TV Tonight

• Interview With the Vampire: Season 2
• Bridgerton: Season 3
• Outer Range: Season 2
• Spacey Unmasked: Season 1
• After the Flood: Season 1
• The Big Cigar: Season 1
• The Killing Kind: Season 1
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Season 11.1
• Harry Wild: Season 3
• RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars: Season 9

Most Popular TV on RT

• Dark Matter: Season 1
• Bodkin: Season 1
• X-Men '97: Season 1
• Fallout: Season 1
• Baby Reindeer: Season 1
• Doctor Who: Season 1
• Hacks: Season 3
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV
• TV & Streaming News

Certified fresh pick

• Bridgerton: Season 3 Link to Bridgerton: Season 3
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

Cannes Film Festival 2024: Movie Scorecard

The Best Movies of 1999

Asian-American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Movie Re-Release Calendar 2024: Your Guide to Movies Back In Theaters

The Most Anticipated Movies of 2025

• Trending on RT
• Furiosa First Reviews
• Most Anticipated 2025 Movies
• Cannes Film Festival Preview
• TV Premiere Dates

Where to Watch

Watch The Killer with a subscription on Prime Video, rent on Fandango at Home, or buy on Fandango at Home.

Critics Reviews

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

Choi Jae-hun

Bang Ui Gang

Bang Eun-jung

Lee Seung-joon

Detective Lee

Shin Seung-hwan

Park Hyung-ju

Lee Chae-yeong

More Like This

• COMING SOON
• OUT NOW - US
• COMING SOON - US

• COMPETITIONS

Eye For Film >> Movies >> The Killer (2022) Film Review

Reviewed by: Jennie Kermode

At first glance, Choi Jae-hoon’s latest thriller, which screened at the 2022 Fantasia International Film Festival , may look like something you’ve seen several times before. A retired hitman asked to protect a teenage girl who then gets kidnapped, forcing him out of retirement? It’s not the most original premise – yet in Choi’s hands it manages to be both innovative and respectful, and very thrilling indeed.

The hitman of the title is Bang Ui-gang, played by Jang Hyuk, an actor whose CV is considerably more diverse than that of most who might handle the physical demands of this role. That’s important, because it is in large part his acting which makes this film work. Although it’s never stated directly, it becomes clear over time that Ui-gang could live the life he did because he doesn’t have empathy. He does, however, have a sense of morality, and he’s capable of feeling affection, especially towards his wife – indeed, the way he safeguards her emotional well-being suggests that he treasures their bond all the more because that experience has been difficult for him to find. He’s haunted by the memory of a lonely girl who once hired him as a form of suicide. He couldn’t understand why she was so unhappy, and it seems that he has been searching for the answer ever since, fascinated by the strangeness of other people.

There are echoes here of Steven Yeun’s performance in Burning – Ui-gang is not the same kind of villainous character, but he is also somebody whose emotional landscape is significantly different from the norm, and like Yeun, Jang understands that this shouldn’t be confused with blankness. Ui-gang is always an engaging character even if he sometimes seems alien, and the journey of discovery which he makes over the course of the film adds a whole extra dimension to it, keeping it intellectual interesting as we are entertained by the action.

This experience of learning parallels that of the film’s other main character, Yoon-ji (Lee Seo-young), who, at 17, is just beginning to explore the possibilities of an independent life but still needs an adult around to look out for her. This is the role which Ui-gang is asked to fill so that his wife can enjoy a short break on Jeju island in the company of Yoon-ji’s mother. He’s resentful about it, but casual observations of the ugly way that other men treat young women persuades him that it’s necessary, even in Yoon-ji thinks she can do everything on her own. This is proven to be the case when she’s targeted by a trafficking ring, prompting a quick demonstration of just what he’s capable of. When other teenager who were present during this incident subsequently turn up dead, however, Ui-gang becomes a suspect and decides to investigate the matter himself. He wonders why Yoon-ji in particular has captured the gang’s interest, and, as she remains in peril, goes in search of answers.

As you would expect, this quest involves a lot of fighting, much of it bloody. The fight choreography is impressive, with a focus on short sequences which allow for the camera to be close to the action, rather than long, roaming set pieces. Occasional comedy moments in the fight scenes don’t always hit the mark, but additional stunt work is woven in very effectively, and Choi knows how to use this to build tension. Here, the fighting is designed to provide excitement but is never allowed to distract from the story, nor to allow respite from the sense of urgency which accompanies much of what Ui-gang has to do. Jang’s fighting style is minimalist, focused on efficiency, whilst some of the other performers use a more showy approach consistent with their characters’ motives. This allows Ui-gang to come across as cooler and more focused, befitting a man who once did this on a professional basis.

There are twists and turns, of course – some more convincing than others – and the sort of plot contrivances which you would expect from this kind of fare. Through it all, Choi evidences a preoccupation with misogyny (which comes from women as well as men), and though the female characters are not positioned as helpless or lacking in agebcy, they are shown to be systematically disadvantaged. Ui-gang’s distance allows him to observe this as a systemic issue rather than being distracted by the specific behaviour of individuals, but over time it clearly influences where his sympathies lie, and is a contributing factor in the bond he develops with Yoon-ji, which feels nothing like the usual cheesy pseudo-parental relationship found in similar action films.

A stylish, energetic piece of action cinema, The Killer will keep you on the edge of your seat, but it will also give you something to think about afterwards.

Director: Choi Jae-hun

Writer: Nam Ji-Woong

Starring: Jang Hyuk, Lee Seo-young, Bang Eun-Jung

Runtime: 95 minutes

Country: South Korea

Search database:

• News & Features

Advertisement

Supported by

‘The Killer’ Review: He’s a Deadly Bore

Michael Fassbender stars as a loquaciously dull hit man in David Fincher’s latest film about bloody exploits.

• Share full article

By Manohla Dargis

David Fincher can’t get enough of that murderous stuff — his filmography bleedeth over with miscreants (“Alien 3”), home invaders (“Panic Room”) and multiple maniacs (“Seven,” “Zodiac,” “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” “Gone Girl”). During one of his periodic breaks from painting the big screen red, Fincher served as a producer and director on the Netflix show “Mindhunter,” another of his visually impeccable, morgue-cold creep-outs. This one was about F.B.I. agents profiling serial killers like Edmund Kemper, a ghoul whose silkily insinuating manner resonated more deeply than the show, which ended after two seasons.

“Mindhunter” was easier to admire than to love, which is habitually true of Fincher’s work and was certainly true of his last movie, “ Mank ,” an Old Hollywood exhumation about powerful people who kill dreams and souls. In Hobbesian terms, life in a Fincher film tends to be solitary and poor, nasty and brutish, if not necessarily short. That’s the case again in his most recent movie, “The Killer,” about a nameless hit man — played by Michael Fassbender — a chatty loner first seen waiting for a victim to show up. In time, the mark appears, the Killer shoots but misses, and spends the remainder of the story trying to clean up the mess.

“The Killer” is based on a French comic book with the same title written by Alexis Nolent (who goes by Matz) and illustrated by Luc Jacamon. The protagonist is an outwardly ordinary-looking hit man who’s as physically unassuming as he is inevitably nihilistic: Other people are awful, the world is hopeless, “we’re living on a pile of corpses,” etc. He quotes Christ and Kazantzakis, pals around with kindred villains, regularly has sex with balloon-breasted ladies but also spends a lot of time alone, which means the comic panels overflow with his loathing and insipid thoughts. What makes him ostensibly interesting isn’t his job or body count; what’s intriguing, at least before your eyes finally glaze over, is that he’s dull.

The idea of an anti-Bond type with an illegal license to kill is, yes, an idea, one that flickers weakly on the page amid a mass of genre clichés. What’s most distinctive about the comic is the contrast between its protagonist and Jacamon’s cinematic illustrations, with their rich hues, canted angles and interplay between realism and expressionism. You keep reading only to keep looking. Fincher’s visual approach in the movie is relatively muted by contrast. He bathes the screen with sulfurous yellow, throws in a few showy shots — an unblinking eye seen through a gun scope — and, as he likes to do, goes dark and then darker, as in one extended fight sequence that’s so dimly lit it sometimes hovers on the threshold of visibility.

Written by Andrew Kevin Walker (“Seven”), the movie ditches a lot of the comic’s gasbag observations, shaves the plot to the bone, folds in some pop-culture yuks (the Killer uses sitcom aliases) and takes a jab at WeWork. Fassbender’s character still prattles on a lot, mostly in voice-over, both when he’s on the job and off, but much of what he says is repetitive and on occasion near-affirmational. “Forbid empathy,” he murmurs. “Trust no one.” On occasion, he sounds as if he’s trying to convince himself or just settle his mind so he can focus on the violent task at hand; at other times, he sounds as if he’s dispensing avuncular advice to students of slaughter: “This is what it takes if you want to succeed.”

One problem with the movie is that without the Killer’s anti-humanist rants, his historical references and political entanglements, there isn’t much left other than Fincher’s virtuosity, Fassbender’s tamped-down charisma and the thorny pleasures of watching evil people commit evil with great finesse. What this Killer has are a lover (Sophie Charlotte), who’s merely a plot contrivance, a luxe beachfront house and a storage unit kitted out with the tools of his trade (guns, passports). What he doesn’t have is much of a personality or a code, a way of being that complicates the violence, as in the films of Jean-Pierre Melville and his admirers. So what is the Killer? Mostly, it seems, he is a way for Fincher to kill time.

After the first job in the movie goes bad, the Killer finds that he’s now a target, which adds a bit of tension and mystery as he dodges threats amid the bang-bangs — the gunfire is more polyrhythmic than the metronomic editing — and the splashy entrances and exits from the other generic types: the Lawyer (Charles Parnell), the Client (Arliss Howard), the Expert (Tilda Swinton), the Brute (Sala Baker). Throughout, Fassbender holds the center with his lissome, controlled physicality and near-unmodulated voice. The character is boring and so is this movie, but like the supremely skilled Fincher, who can’t help but make images that hold your gaze even as your mind wanders, Fassbender does keep you watching.

The Killer Rated R for ultraviolence. Running time: 1 hour 58 minutes. Watch on Netflix.

Manohla Dargis is the chief film critic of The Times, which she joined in 2004. She has an M.A. in cinema studies from New York University, and her work has been anthologized in several books. More about Manohla Dargis

Explore More in TV and Movies

Not sure what to watch next we can help..

“Megalopolis,” the first film from the director Francis Ford Coppola in 13 years, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Here’s what to know .

Why is the “Planet of the Apes” franchise so gripping and effective? Because it doesn’t monkey around, our movie critic writes .

Luke Newton has been in the sexy Netflix hit “Bridgerton” from the start. But a new season will be his first as co-lead — or chief hunk .

There’s nothing normal about making a “Mad Max” movie, and Anya Taylor-Joy knew that  when she signed on to star in “Furiosa,” the newest film in George Miller’s action series.

If you are overwhelmed by the endless options, don’t despair — we put together the best offerings   on Netflix , Max , Disney+ , Amazon Prime  and Hulu  to make choosing your next binge a little easier.

Sign up for our Watching newsletter  to get recommendations on the best films and TV shows to stream and watch, delivered to your inbox.

The Killer (2022)

• User Reviews

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews

• User Ratings
• External Reviews
• Metacritic Reviews
• Full Cast and Crew
• Release Dates
• Official Sites
• Company Credits
• Filming & Production
• Technical Specs
• Plot Summary
• Plot Keywords
• Parents Guide

Did You Know?

• Crazy Credits
• Alternate Versions
• Connections
• Soundtracks

Photo & Video

• Photo Gallery
• Trailers and Videos

Related Items

• External Sites

Related lists from IMDb users

Recently Viewed

• Movie Reviews
• Blu-ray/DVD

Thursday, August 4, 2022

'the killer' (2022) movie review.

The premise is simple: Jang Hyuk ( Paid in Blood ) plays Bang Eui-kang, a retired assassin. His wife goes on a trip and convinces him to watch her friend’s teenage daughter, Yoon-ji (Lee Seo-young of the K-pop group GWSN), for three weeks. When Yoon-ji, as one might expect in a movie of this ilk, gets taken by human traffickers, Eui-kang must dust off his skills to save her. Nothing particularly unexpected happens, but watching the protagonist tear through wave after wave of goons, battling his way up one level after another of this criminal enterprise, will sate just about any action fan out there. 

[Related Reading: 'Special Delivery' Movie Review]

And the action is 100% the selling point of   The Killer . The rest is fine, but that’s what’s worth watching here. If you haven’t seen   The Swordsman , do yourself a favor and fix that. (It’s streaming multiple places.) But if you have, you know Choi has this on lock, and he does not disappoint. We’ve got hatchets, knives, and bullets galore. (One thing I love about action movies from countries with actual gun control is the preponderance of fights with non-firearm weapons.) There’s a sprawling, nearly-single-shot brawl that starts in a hotel lobby, moves to an elevator, up a few flights, and down multiple hallways. On the choreography front, the movie is unimpeachable.  

Eui-kang doesn’t have the driven vengeance of a  John Wick  or the protective parental ferocity of  Taken . Instead, he’s cold-blooded to the point of near disinterest. His attitude is more along the lines of, “Dammit, I have to rescue this kid or my wife will be pissed.” Seriously, dude is so mired in ennui he causally threatens to dig a teenager’s eyeball out of the socket and mows down baddies with a coffee in one hand, looking so, so bored the whole time. 

[Related Reading: 'Confession' Movie Review]

It's down to Jang that, while his character is fed up with this existence, operating with a sense of cold remove, as an actor, he remains subtly engaging. In fact, while the story rings hollow and bland at many, a sneaky bond forms between Eui-kang and Yoon-ji, and there’s a legitimate affection between the two that creeps up even as he blasts an endless parade of villains in the face with a silenced pistol.

I can’t say that  The Killer  is destined to become a new genre classic. The plot’s too standard for that, it gets overly complicated along the way as the script crams in complication after complication, and it could stand to dial back the too-cool-for-school posturing at times. Still, the slick, stylish action is top-tier, Jang and Choi continue to work at the top of their respective games, and it overflows with dynamic, intricately staged shootouts, chases, and throwdowns. Basically, it’s badass as hell and a definite must-watch for action devotees.  [Grade: B+]

Check out all our Fantasia 2022 coverage here.

No comments:

Post a Comment

The Killer (2022)

Is “The Killer” Korea’s answer to John Wick? In this neo-noir action film, a man is on a mission to rescue a girl he’s vowed to protect.

In a world full of hitmen, corruption and sex traffickers, this retired killer must venture into the criminal underworld to uncover the mystery behind the kidnapping, and bring the girl to safety. he’ll do so by handing the kidnappers a deadly dose of gun-fu., starring jang hyuk and directed by jae-hoon choi, this exceptional duo reunite, bringing their stroke of brilliance from their previous outing, “ the swordsman ” (2020), to deliver an undeniable showstopper., “the killer” is on digital now, and out on blu-ray and dvd on april 17 th .

Jang Hyuk stars as Bang Ui-Gang, a retired hitman living a quiet and financially secure life. He is an expert at hand-to-hand combat and marksmanship.

Despite his stoic, yet sadistic nature, his years of experience have helped nurture a casual personality. He even finds time to have a coffee during missions.

Lee Seo-young plays Kim Yun-Ji, a teenage girl under the care of Ui-Gang. She is vulnerable, yet can be quite unpredictable at times.

Bruce Khan plays Yuri, a Russian assassin and former member of Spetsnaz. Yuri serves as the main adversary to Ui-Gang.

A retired assassin, Bang Ui-Gang, is living a quiet life when his wife asks him to take care of her friend’s teenage daughter, Kim Yun-Ji.

When sex traffickers kidnap Kim, Ui-Gang must come out of retirement and use the most destructive skills at his disposal to rescue the girl.

On his journey through a morally bankrupt world involving Russian gangsters, axe-wielding thugs and corrupt officials, Ui-Gang must unravel the conspiracy behind the girl’s abduction.

Star, Jang Hyuk is a former trainee for the Korean military where he served for two years. Jang’s military background and previous portrayal of a stoic killer in “The Swordsman”  prove he’s the perfect casting choice for this modern-day merciless assassin.

In addition to Jang’s military training, as well as experience in Jeet Kune Do and taekwondo , the fight choreography incorporates judo throws and the Filipino art of Kali (also known as Arnis and Escrima), a weapons-based martial art that specializes in blades and sticks. The artist is also able to adapt his skills using improvised weapons from magazines to pens.

Gun-fu is also present in its most stylistic and unforgiving nature. Jang Hyuk’s training further adds legitimacy to the shootouts.

Bring Me the Killer Knife

When confronting the sex traffickers, Ui-Gang makes his dominance known by dispatching the bodyguard with ease.

This unrelenting anti-hero doesn’t stop there as he proceeds to deliver unsettling and unnecessary punishment to the unconscious body, freaking the hell out the kidnappers in the process.

After an ensuing gun fight, Ui-Gang enters into a dark room with purple lights filtering the space, only to be ambushed by a Russian hitman by the name of Yuri. The two warriors engage in close quarters combat for the first time.

In a claustrophobic space, there are a lot of parries, trappings and flying kicks from the walls for good measure. Even in a confined area, the choreography remains engaging in a fast-paced and grounded approach.

Even though the first one-on-one encounter was short lived and unresolved, Ui-Gang received a taste of his first potential challenger, and his main weapon, the ballistic knife, which gives him an idea as to what he’s dealing with.

Rampage at the Don’t Tell Papa Motel

In the very first scene, the movie wastes no time showcasing the protagonist’s skills in combat.

His evasive manoeuvres and deadly precision effectively sell Ui-Gang’s abilities as an efficient killer.

Ui-Gang’s terrifying demeanour is successfully illustrated thanks to Jang Hyuk as he disappears into the role of the killer with a stoic expression and complete indifference to the circumstances of being outnumbered.

Although this scene which opens the film is chronologically out of sequence, it essentially sets the tone of a neo-noir aesthetic and the gritty style of action that is to be expected from Jae-Hoon Choi.

The fight would resume with Ui-Gang fending off multiple gang members, overwhelming them with sheer strength, turning their weapons against each other, and even bringing out his own Glock into the game.

From the motel’s upper floors to elevators and hallways, Ui-Gang is constantly on the edge in a building infested with gang members. Yet, through will power and terrifyingly impressive executions, this contract killer leaves a trail of bodies in his wake, and all through a multitude of impressive long takes.

With the introduction of gun-fu, the realism amps up and is truly delivered with the perfect blend of CGI blood and practical exit wounds.

Judgement at the Mansion

Wielding a Glock and an M200 sniper rifle, Ui-Gang wastes not a single bullet in his infiltration of the mansion with a touch of Jon Woo on every impact of the shot.

When ambushed by baton-wielding guards, Ui-Gang demonstrates his ingenuity in Kali, using broken furniture legs. Just when it seems Ui-Gang is at a disadvantage, his military prowess and quick thinking always pulls him through. It just comes so naturally to him.

When Yuri confronts the killer for the final time, the gun battle resumes. Even with constant movement in the center of a bar between two hitmen and more bad guys coming from all sides, there is still a sense of geography and clarity as to where everyone is and where they’re shooting from. This is the most important thing to remember when filming a shootout scene.

When the hero and villain close the gap, their established skillsets collide at a polished and exhilarating pace, with bullets, knives and fists all in one.

The faceoff is devoid of snappy dialogue or cheesy one liners, but the intent in both warriors and their actions tells the story to the audience.

The final battle doesn’t overstay its welcome and the blows feel a lot more personal from Ui-Gang and Yuri with a goal to finish their meeting once and for all.

The collaboration between Jang Hyuk and Jae-Hoon Choi once again brings their strengths into a no holds barred endeavour in a growing demand for well-executed action films.

Jang Hyuk demonstrates his versatility as an actor, balancing his casual personality outside of his former profession with the unsettling presence of a merciless killer returning to his prime.

The Korean star also provides a necessary amount of depth to a former hitman who is now tasked with safeguarding a vulnerable girl.

This is a character who is motivated by guilt and when the girl he’s responsible for ends up in danger, it pulls him back into his violent ways, ironically in the hope of redeeming himself in some way.

The lure of the hitman world is not as well-established or glamorous as the criminal world of John Wick, in fact, it doesn’t show up until later in the story’s third act. Yet the casual nature of the anti-hero, the shooting range owner and the cleaners are enough to give an unsettling vibe.

The film may suffer from pacing issues and a lack of character development, but when the action starts, much like Jang’s anti-hero, nothing is held back. Even with an almost untouchable hero, the constant threat of danger is enough to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

In a time where the film industry is thriving in South Korea and one man army heroes are in no short supply, this is a solid flick featuring well-orchestrated battles, conveyed by a dedicated actor in Jang Hyuk and a visionary filmmaker in Jae-Hoon Choi.

Favourite Quotes

• “I became curious about her pain. But I could never find out. Only her warmth remained on my hand.” – Ui-Gang
• “First one to talk lives.” – Ui-Gang
•   “I hate…being lonely.” – Kim
• “Whose day did I ruin?” – Ui-Gang
• “Don’t give up hope, you might just live.” – Ui-Gang
• The Killer premiered on April 23rd, 2022 at the Far East Film Festival.
• Jang Hyuk is trained in Jeet Kune Do and Taekwondo.
• Son Hyeon-ju’s character references “The Man from Nowhere”, another Korean action film from 2010.
• Jae-Hoon Choi’s first collaboration with star Jang Hyuk, was in his feature film and directorial debut, “The Swordsman” (2020).
• Jang Hyuk trained in the Korean Military and spent 2 years’ of service there.

The Killer – Out on Blu-ray – April 17 – KUNG FU KINGDOM

Film Rating: 8/10

“the killer” is now available on demand, and on blu-ray and dvd from april 17 th , excited about this one what is your favorite korean fight action film let us know in the comments below; like, share and join in the conversation on facebook and follow us on twitter & instagram , lock and load those mighty human weapons of yours and go on the hunt down in the kingdom of fu , for these top 10’s , top 5’s , deep-dive interviews , get your own kfk wear and don’t forget to subscribe for more super slick ‘n’ stylish fu on youtube .

Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson: Top 5 MMA Finishes

The Street Fighter Trilogy – Blu-ray version

Tags: Cineasia UK Eskrima fighting Gun Fu Jae-Hoon Choi Jang Hyuk judo martial arts movie review South Korea Taekwondo

James’ passion for martial arts combat originated from his love of action cinema, inspiring him to practise the arts from a young age. He is trained in Muay Thai, Boxing, Wing Chun, Kali and Jiu-Jitsu. Through these practises he has not only reaped the benefits of learning technical skills, but also studied real-world survival techniques, with each discipline enriching his mental stamina and wellbeing. James is a movie buff and an MMA fan, engaging with the tactical skills and strategies of every fight.

Boy Kills World (2023)

Black Mask (1996) Blu-ray version

China O’Brien I & II (1990) Blu-ray version

The Swordsman Of All Swordsmen / The Mystery of Chess Boxing (Blu-ray, Double Bill)

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Kung-fu Kingdom (KFK) is a team of dedicated martial arts enthusiasts. We are writers, martial arts practitioners and film-makers consumed by a passion for everything connected to the martial arts, and we love sharing it! So whether it’s about movies, books, training techniques, philosophy, stunts or seminars, we hope to inspire and stimulate your inner warrior!

About Us Contact Us Privacy Cookies Terms of Use

AEW Wrestling BellatorMMA Benny the Jet Bruce Lee Cynthia Rothrock Jackie Chan Jean-Claude Van Damme One Championship Scott Adkins UFC

Privacy Overview

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

The Killer review – super-violent South Korean thriller with well-coiffed assassin

A retired mercenary must free a kidnapped teen in this lurid and drum-tight thriller

C harismatic star Jang Hyuk plays Bang Ui-gang, a retired mercenary compelled to shoot, maim, slice and dice an assortment of adversaries in this extremely violent action thriller. At all times, Ui-gang also manages to keep his hair immaculately coiffed in a floppy K-pop-by-way-of-1990s-Hugh-Grant style. He’s so darn cool that at one point he arrives at one of the film’s many dens of iniquity with a large coffee in one hand and a gun in the other, and shoots his adversaries stone dead between dainty sips.

This would all seem faintly ridiculous if it weren’t that director Choi Jae-hoon (who recently made The Swordsman , also with Jang) and screenwriter Nam Ji-Woong have injected some biting social critique among all the bloody malarky – notably through the way the story reveals that the sex trafficking ring at the heart of the evildoing is condoned and exploited by people at the highest levels of authority.

Before all that kicks off, the film’s opening seems as if it’s setting up a comedy. Ui-gang, rich from years of killing for hire, is now happily married and spends his time researching tax law on the couch. But his wife, Hyeon-soo (Lee Chae-young) wants to go on holiday with a female friend who has no one to look after her 17-year-old daughter Kim Yoon-ji (Lee Seo-young), so Hyeon-soo gets Ui-gang to babysit. Wouldn’t you know it, on the very first night she gets kidnapped by traffickers and only just manages to call for help. Ui-gang has no choice but to retrieve the errant youngster, who keeps managing to get recaptured, which prompts ever more fight scenes.

If the plot is a little sketchy, the action, conversely, is drum tight. Ui-gang fights off baddies in elevators, corridors, stairwells and open spaces, and at one point contrives to use an assortment of sex toys in a love hotel to escape through a window several stories up, using a swiftly crafted pulley of bondage ropes and a bad guy for ballast. Meanwhile, the lighting and sets offer a searing palette of magenta and cobalt blue, as if the story weren’t already lurid enough.

• Action and adventure films
• Crime films
• World cinema
• South Korea
• Asia Pacific

Comments (…)

Most viewed.

Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

Movie Review – The Killer (2022)

March 20, 2023 by admin

The Killer , 2022.

Directed by Jae-Hoon Choi. Starring Jang Hyuk, Bang Ui Gang, Seo-young Lee, Tae-Hyun Cha, and Chae-Young Lee.

A retired hitman is brought back into active duty when the teenager he is babysitting gets involved in a human trafficking ring.

Okay, let’s get this out of the way first – Korean action thriller The Killer is going to get compared to John Wick in near enough every review you are ever likely to see, and for obvious reasons.

There is no getting around the fact that this high-octane blast of violence about a retired assassin brought back into the game by something relatively trivial, as he kicks, stabs and shoots his way to the end-of-level boss against a backdrop of pink neon and a thumping soundtrack, does indeed share a lot of DNA with Keanu Reeves kicking, stabbing and shooting his way to… Anyway, you get the point.

The major difference between the two movies, though, is that The Killer does not have a mythology or a wider universe it is set in. There is no central hotel for our hero Bang Ui Gang (Jang Hyuk) to recover or get new weapons in, nor is there a cast of characters all there to back him up as he goes about his mission, and it is that lack of plot – which is not a criticism – that makes The Killer a slightly different experience because it allows a greater efficiency of writing; the filmmakers don’t need to tie certain events into other things, they don’t need to think too far ahead and stretch out scenarios so something makes sense further down the line – The Killer is very much a movie about experiencing the moment.

And the moments it gives you are satisfying and rewarding, as long as you have a penchant for gratuitous blood shedding. Bang Ui Gang is as laid-back as they come as far as protagonists go, and his relaxed manner is very endearing when his wife Hyeon Soo (Chae-Young Lee) is telling him that she is going away for three weeks with her best friend and that Ui Gang is babysitting her friend’s 17-year-old daughter Kim Yun Ji (Seo-young Lee). His protests have no effect and before long he has dropped off the rebellious teenager at the local university with her friend, and thinking he has some time to himself he goes home, which is when he receives a phone call from Yun Ji calling him back into the city and from there it all kicks off.

Lit in the brightest of neon lights, with fluid camera movements and an energy that contradicts Ui Gang’s lethargic manner, The Killer is brilliant, no-nonsense entertainment from start to finish, the pace never lagging as bullets fly and faces explode, right up to the equally fat-free final scene, the movie ending exactly as it should.

And, as a bonus, it clocks in at a trim 95 minutes which, for a Korean movie, makes it more-or-less a short. Perfect to slot in a few viewings before the next John Wick adventure at least.

Flickering Myth Rating  – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

The Essential Revisionist Westerns of the 21st Century

The Must-See Horror Movies From Every Decade

Has Dave Filoni Made the Star Wars Prequels Cool 25 Years Later?

Asian Shock Horror Movies You Have To See

The Essential Man vs Machine Sci-Fi B-Movies

Ten Essential Films of the 1940s

Peeping Tom: A Voyeuristic Masterpiece of the Slasher Subgenre

Cobra: Sylvester Stallone and Cannon Films Do Dirty Harry

New Upcoming Western Movies and TV Shows Like Yellowstone To Check Out in 2024

The Contemporary Queens of Action Cinema

• Comic Books
• Video Games
• Toys & Collectibles
• Articles and Opinions
• About Flickering Myth
• Write for Flickering Myth
• Advertise on Flickering Myth
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy

Where to Watch and Stream 'The Blackening': Showtimes, Digital, and Blu-ray

"We can't all die first."

Quick Links

Is the blackening available on demand, when is the blackening coming out on blu-ray and dvd, when did the blackening hit movie theaters, the blackening showtimes, when is the blackening coming to streaming, watch the blackening trailer, what is the background of the blackening, more movies like the blackening that you can watch right now.

Horror has always been a genre that's somewhat difficult to define. Continuously pushing boundaries, exploring societal issues, and turning stereotypes on their head, horror is so much more than cheap jump-scares and creepy old houses. In 1992, we saw the release of Candyman , a movie following the legend of the title character, an African-American entity murdered in the 19th century due to his participation in an interracial relationship. Also in the 90s, we saw horror go "meta" when the first Scream movie hit theaters in '96, becoming an instant fan favorite and going on to boast a huge franchise. In more recent years, critically acclaimed screenwriter and director Jordan Peele has become a central figure in the genre , shining a light on racial issues in groundbreaking movies such as 2017's Get Out and crafting an ambitious cinematic experience with 2022's Nope . Then comes The Blackening .

Directed by Tim Story ( Ride Along ), the movie combines all of the above, while also telling the story with a comedic tone. Following a group of Black friends as they vacation at an isolated cabin in the woods, The Blackening challenges the stereotype that the Black character is usually the first to die in horror movies. Confronted with a masked killer, the group is told they must rank their degrees of "Blackness" so that the killer can determine who to murder first. Using their extensive knowledge of horror movie tropes, the group is determined to survive their night of terror. Keep reading to find out how to watch The Blackening .

Editor's Note: This piece was updated on August 19, 2023.

The Blackening

Yes, The Blackening is now available to rent and purchase on demand. You can use the links below to find the film on the platform of your choice.

• Amazon Prime Video
• Google Play

For those of you who would like to add The Blackening to your collection, the film's Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K UHD releases will be out on August 22, 2023 . Here's the link to pre-order the film's physical media:

Pre-Order on Amazon

RELATED: New 'The Blackening' Trailer Adds Humor to a Twisted Game of Survival

The Blackening premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 16, 2022. It also screened at the Tribeca Film Festival and the American Black Film Festival in June 2023. The Blackening was released to wider audiences in theaters nationwide on June 16, 2023. Fans in the UK, however, will have to wait a little longer as The Blackening is expected to release in the United Kingdom on August 23, 2023.

You can use the following links below to check for showtimes and ticket availability at theaters near you:

• Official Website
• AMC Theatres

There is no news about when or where The Blackening will be available to stream. However, the movie's distribution company, Lionsgate, leads us to speculate that The Blackening will likely be available on a couple of different platforms when it comes to streaming.

In the United States, The Blackening is likely to land on Starz, which is available with any Hulu plan starting at $9.99 per month . In the United Kingdom, we believe the movie could be hosted on LIONSGATE+, home to many Lionsgate movies, and can be purchased alongside any Amazon Prime plan starting at £5.99 per month. Lionsgate also has a streaming deal with Peacock , so the film will eventually end up on that platform as well.

Lionsgate Movies released a trailer for The Blackening on its official YouTube channel on March 1, 2023. The two-minute-long video currently sits at almost ten million views in the months since its release. It's safe to say that every single line in this trailer is comedy gold. We're shown the friends settling into their cabin for the night, only to be interrupted by a sudden power cut. When they go outside to investigate the fuse box (together, of course, because every horror fan knows that splitting up is never good), they're confronted with their tormentor. Additionally, we see the group discover a board game titled The Blackening, during which the killer tells them that to save one of their friends, they must decide who is the "blackest" so that the mysterious masked man can target the chosen person first. The group descends into a hilariously chaotic argument, explaining why they should not be chosen.

Lionsgate Movies released a second and final trailer for The Blackening on May 17, 2023. In this trailer, we see the extended version of the argument clip and a brief look at some new scenes as the group tries to figure out what to do about their predicament. We're also treated to some brilliant behind-the-scenes audience reactions at an early screening of the movie.

RELATED: 'The Blackening' Cast and Writers on Subverting Horror Tropes and Cracking Up on Set | TIFF 2022

The Blackening was expanded from a Comedy Central short of the same title for the big screen. Following the same premise, the short was written by Dewayne Perkins, who also co-wrote and stars in the feature film adaptation. Check out the four-minute sketch below.

Scream (1996) - A slasher that explores the tropes of the horror genre through a meta lens, Scream follows high school student Sidney Prescott ( Neve Campbell ). Struggling with the upcoming anniversary of her mother's murder, Sidney has a lot on her plate, which is only added to when a fellow student is brutally murdered by a masked figure known only as "Ghostface". Whilst home alone, Sidney receives a chilling phone call and quickly realizes she is lined up as Ghostface's next target.

Watch on Paramount+

Scary Movie (2000) - Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and written by Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans , Scary Movie is a slasher parody movie. Many well-known horror movies from the 80s and 90s are parodied throughout, including Scream , Halloween , The Shining , and The Blair Witch Project . If you're in the mood for a gore-filled watch that doesn't take itself too seriously, this is definitely the one for you.

Watch on Max

Get Out (2017) - Taking a more serious look into the issue of racism, Get Out is written and directed by filmmaker Jordan Peele. The movie follows a young Black photographer Chris Washington ( Daniel Kaluuya ) as he travels with his white girlfriend Rose ( Allison Williams ) to her family home. Worried that Rose's family might disapprove of their relationship, Rose reassures Chris that isn't the case. However, when Chris meets the parents and begins to explore the Upstate New York home, a series of bizarre and unsettling occurrences lead him to suspect that something very sinister is at play.

Rent on Prime Video