The Killer

Colour, 35 mm
France, 2008, 96 min
Section: Variety Critics’ Choice

Synopsis

A creepily symbiotic relationship develops between a professional assassin and his mark in The Killer, a modest but well-played debut by writer-director Cédric Anger. A cool-faced hitman with a suitably foreign-sounding name, Kopas (Grégoire Colin), arrives in Paris and checks into a hotel, where he finds his target is middle-aged investment advisor Leo Zimmerman (Gilbert Melki). Kopas visits Leo in his office in the guise of a potential investor, and an immediate, dramatic resonance is established between the two. Leo seems well off and happy enough on the surface, but is clearly a smart operator with hidden secrets. Anger shows cool but intense attachment to his characters, underlined by wintry, pre-Christmas lensing of stark Paris locations by veteran d.p. Caroline Champetier.