Why David Fincher's The Killer Uses The Smiths Music for Assassination Scenes

David Fincher explains why in his new movie The Killer prepares to assassinate people while listening to The Smiths.

David Fincher opened up about his decision to use The Smiths for The Killer's soundtrack.

On choosing British rock band The Smiths as the soundtrack for Michael Fassbender as the titular assassin, Fincher said: “I knew I wanted to use 'How Soon Is Now' and I loved the idea of that song specifically as a tool for assuaging his anxieties. I liked it as a meditation tape, I thought it was amusing and funny. And I don’t think there’s a library of music by a recording artist that has as much sardonic nature and wit simultaneously. We don’t get an awful lot of access to who this guy is, and I thought through his mixtape, it would be amusing that that would be our window into him.”

Fassbender stars as an unnamed assassin who fails in an assassination attempt in Paris. With his romantic partner beaten near death, He embarks on an international manhunt for the people responsible. The film’s score is composed by Fincher’s frequent collaborators Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

Fincher's The Killer is from a screenplay by Andrew Kevin Walker and is based on the French graphic novel series of the same name, written by Alexis Nolent and illustrated by Luc Jacamon. Along with Fassbender who stars in the lead role, the film's cast includes Arliss Howard, Charles Parnell, Kerry O'Malley, Sala Baker, Sophie Charlotte, and Tilda Swinton. Fassbender's character is simply known as The Killer and the premise of the movie involves the titular assassin going on an international manhunt after a hit on his target goes wrong.

The Killer premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on Sunday. Some viewers will get to watch the upcoming neo-noir thriller on a limited theatrical release on October 27. The movie will then be available for Netflix subscribers on November 10, 2023. Fincher's work with Netflix includes the television series House of Cards, Mindhunter, and the animated Netflix series Love, Death & Robots. He also executive-produced the Netflix series Voir. In 2020, he directed the biographical drama movie, Mank.

Netflix’s The Killer has released a short teaser in which Fassbender's character is seen preparing for a kill. The trailer also teases an action-packed movie with the titular character jet-setting and getting up to no good. In a poster promoting the movie, Fassbender is seen pointing a gun at the camera with a piercing look in his eyes. It contains the tagline, "Execution is everything," in line with the theme of the movie.