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Reviews
The Killer (2023)
Rare Fincher misstep in supporting cast
Fassbender is one of the best actors of his generation and he doesn't disappoint here. Swinton is also excellent as usual but she is only in two scenes. For some reason, Fincher could not get convincing performances out of any of the other cast. When Fassbender is on his own with voiceover it's brilliant. But as soon as he has to interact with anyone it's jarring because the performances are so contrasting. The scene with Leo or the Client are probably the most egregious instances of this. Fincher seems to have spent all his money on Fassbender, excellent cinematography and sound, and had no budget left for the remaining casting. So the only compelling interaction between the protagonist and any other character is the two scenes with Swinton.
In terms of plot, there's two problems that prevent the audience from significantly investing: stakes and character. After the initial assault on the mistress the threat is withdrawn and any further threat remains solely on the protagonist and quite clearly only is only maintained because of his quest for vengeance. As for character, while the protagonist is convincing and quite interesting he's got no amazing arc that would make the audience cheer for him.
Overall this film represents a rare misstep by Fincher which I'm sure disappointed Fassbender and Swinton.
Reptile (2023)
Beware of extreme reviews
People giving this 10/10 can't be taken seriously. This movie doesn't even come close to the quality of a film like Prisoners which is a genuine 10/10.
Likewise people giving this a 1-2/10 are just silly and more likely reflect the reviewers' anger that their expectations given the cast weren't met.
The best reviews here are those giving score between 4-7.
One issue I haven't seen discussed is what the point of Silverstone's character. Her character adds nothing to the plot nor does her relationship with the protagonist add anything to his character. For a relatively long and slow film nearly all her scenes could have be cut.
The other main criticism is one that's perennial in the mystery genre is that if you give too much away the audience gets ahead of of the story, if you obscure more you end up with a Scooby Do-high exposition reveal. This movie suffers from the latter.
Devs (2020)
So much potential
Awww this one tackled some really interesting philosophical and technological ideas related to freedom and determinism. However, there really wasn't enough to warrant an 8 episode series. It would have been significantly more powerful as a 2.5 hour feature film. Instead, so much of this series is filled with padding: montages, slow push ins of characters looking shocked and extended silences. Had this been a film there would have no doubt been more budget to cast better - the actors playing the lead her ex are clearly still learning their craft. Though big props to Mizuno for pulling of the accent.
To be fair it's hard not to compare this to Garland's other work which have been films with a-list casts and so this has no doubt influenced my disappointment.
Regarding the main theme it's a real shame it didn't engage with Robert Kane's work on free will. This would have balanced out the discussion and created more compelling conflict instead so much one sided exposition.
With all that being said it is worth watching - enjoy.