A lengthy standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival (or any other world premiere) has pretty much become a meme unto itself at this point in our culture — and the comedy of it all has never been better illustrated than by how director David Fincher reacted during the premiere of his Netflix thriller The Killer.
As described by Variety in rather amusing detail:
As the audience clapped for him, he uncomfortably shifted on his feet and flailed his hands in the air and mouthed: “What is this?” A producer led him down the stairs from his balcony seat to meet fans, but Fincher thought he was leaving the theatre. He then walked back up the stairs and continued to uncomfortably stand in front of the cheering crowds until he finally was able to exit.
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Considering the early reviews and first reactions, however, the sustained applause wasn’t entirely unwarranted…
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Based on Alexis Nolent’s French language series of graphic novels — and adapted by Fincher’s Fight Club screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker — The Killer follows the story of an unnamed hitman: the titular “killer” (Michael Fassbender), who must battle his employers, and himself, on an international manhunt “he insists isn’t personal.”
Fassbender, who hasn’t appeared on screens since 2019’s X-Men: Dark Phoenix in order to pursue his lifelong dream of racing at Le Mans, is joined by Arliss Howard, Charles Parnell, Kerry O’Malley, Sala Baker, Sophie Charlotte, Tilda Swinton, as well as Emiliano Pernia, and Gabriel Polanco.
In addition to Andrew Kevin Walker, Fincher has reunited with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, the latter two having once again composed a moody score, alongside Mank cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt.
The Killer is set to release in select theatres from October 28th before streaming on Netflix from November 10th — check out the teaser trailer above.
