Seth Emmons
November 2023
Cinematography World / Leitz Cine
American cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt ASC reunited with director David Fincher for The Killer, the pair’s third collaboration following the Academy Award-winning feature film Mank (2020) and the critically-acclaimed series Mindhunter. The new Netflix Original neo-noir thriller is adapted from the eponymous graphic novel by French writer Alexis “Matz” Nolent and follows an unnamed assassin played, by Michael Fassbender, on a global hunt for revenge, only to find himself the subject of an international manhunt after a after a hit goes wrong.
Principal photography on the film began in November 2021 and wrapped in March 2022, with filming taking place in Paris, Dominican Republic and New Orleans, Louisiana, and St Charles in Illinois. Messerschmidt is quick to point out that The Killer is not a caper, but an exercise in observing the journey of a fascinating character, a professional who considers himself separate from the masses. But, when his meticulous planning goes wrong, the framework of his world gets knocked off balance as well.
The Killer exemplifies the decisive filmmaking style that Fincher has become known for and Messerschmidt embraces this methodology when working together.
“The Killer is probably the most precise movie I’ve ever worked on,” he says. “There’s something to be said for spontaneity and the moments between the moments that you capture in an unexpected way, and I would never want to detract from the value of that. But, to me the most satisfying way of filmmaking is trying to be as sublime as possible. It’s hard work and you have to know where you’re going at every step to achieve it. It’s all about previsualisation and the pursuit of those ideas.”
“Sculpture is a great metaphor for how David works. He strips away anything extra – from the camera movement to the performance to the set dressing – and focusses on what the audience needs to learn from each scene. There’s no showing-off because it’s all about telling the story in the clearest, most effective way. The artistry presents itself in the micro decisions. This frame or that frame? Should the camera be here, or a foot further back? It becomes much more nuanced.”
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