The Assassin on Netflix: Did you notice that detail in the final shot that makes Michael Fassbender’s performance even more incredible?

Attention! This article contains plot spoilers for The Killer. If you haven’t seen it and don’t want to know what it contains, read no further.

Notice the final shot of The Killer, David Fincher’s latest film for Netflix? There is a small detail, almost insignificant, which nevertheless gives all its flavor to the icy performance of Michael Fassbender in the role of this cold-blooded killer.

Those who have seen the film will definitely notice the particularly nihilistic approach of David Fincher and the stoicism of the main character played by Michael Fassbender. But while we believed that this killer was finally lost to humanity, a small detail contradicts us.

This happens in the last frame of the film, when the killer’s eye blinks. This minor anecdotal movement indicates that the character has finally found peace when he finally rests at home with his partner Magdala (Sophie Charlotte). Shot in profile, beneath his glasses, the viewer can see the fixated gaze of an assassin lost in space.

And with this micro-movement, he finally breaks the stoicism that has characterized him, letting his eyes close before the eyes close and the credits roll. The fact that the killer eventually loses (or gives up) control over his facial muscles and maniacal behavior is a seemingly deliberate choice by David Fincher, Andrew Kevin Walker (screenwriter) and Michael Fassbender.

The entire film details the extraordinary demands of this “special” job, in which the assassin is forced to almost automatically slow his heart rate and act with unwavering precision in order to achieve his goals. A flash at the end of the film gives the audience the impression that the killer will start to defend himself, become less robotic and act more like a normal human being.

This means Michael Fassbender didn’t blink in front of the camera for (almost) the entire movie. According to varietyEric Messerschmidt, the film’s cinematographer, noted that Fassbender never blinked while on camera throughout production.

Michael Fassbender is known for his meticulous and strict acting technique, which annoyed fellow actors and even other collaborators throughout his career, such as his former classmate Tom Hardy at the London Drama Centre. Crazy detail that you’d only find in a maniac like Fincher, supported by a perfectionist like Fassbender!