Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
It would be unusual to expect an action-packed finale from a thriller as minimalist as this one.
But to deny Michael Fassbenders nameless assassin (and the audience) his final kill?
Its an ending as perversely anti-climactic as it is surprising.
Its also a pointed subversion, a curveball with a purpose.
The Killeris structured almost like a video game.
After missing a kill shot in Paris, The Killer narrowly avoids the ensuing blowback.
Claybourne is no diabolical kingpin.
He has not been hiding from the Killer or even expecting him.
In fact, he has no clue why a stranger with a silenced pistol has infiltrated his sanctuary.
But the Killer isnt just exploiting convenience culture.
He is a freelance killer, literally disposable labor.
Like most contract workers, he has no protections.
Will this contractor strike a blow against the fat cat who devalues him and his dark labor?
But Fincher is rarely so sentimental.
He would rather stylishly dampen spirits than raise them.
Its not the belated stirring of a conscience, thats for sure.
The Killer, in the end, is no revolutionary.
He has accepted his station in the gig economy.
Thats what makes the ending such a bold downer.
It doesnt just break with viewer expectations of how a cool hitman-on-a-mission story should come to a close.
It avoids any sense of catharsis.
There is no moral reckoning for the Killer, and no consequences for the Client.
Guess which sin wins out this time.
