David Fincher Explains Why The Killer Is Soundtracked By Smiths Songs
David Fincher’s new film The Killer premiered at the Venice Film Festival this weekend ahead of an October theatrical release. (It’ll debut on Netflix on November 10.) In addition to a score by longtime collaborators Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, the movie includes a bunch of songs by the Smiths — apparently the soundtrack of choice for the film’s contract killer main character, played by Michael Fassbender.
As Indiewire reports, Fincher talked about the Smiths-heavy soundtrack in a press conference at the festival. Songs used in the movie include “How Soon is Now?,” “Bigmouth Strikes Again,” and “I Know It’s Over.”
“The Smiths were a post-production addition because I knew I wanted to use ‘How Soon is Now?’ and I love the idea of that song specifically as a tool for assuaging his anxiety,” Fincher said. “I liked it as a meditation tape, I thought it was amusing and funny.”
“I don’t think that there’s a library of music by recording artists that have as much sardonic nature and wit simultaneously [as the Smiths],” Fincher continued. “And we don’t get an awful lot of access to who this guy is. I thought through his mixtape it would be amusing, that that would be our window into him.”
Here’s the recently-released teaser trailer for the movie: