The Killer Soundtrack Guide: Every Song & When It Plays (2024)

The Killer has an incredibly unique soundtrack for a David Fincher action-thriller, considering the majority of its songs are by the same British indie rock band from the 1980s. The new Fincher movie sees the first collaboration between the acclaimed director and renowned actor Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs, Inglourious Basterds), whose method acting skills were seen on full display in The Killer. Despite being portrayed through various aliases and disguises throughout the film, Fassbender's eerily stoic protagonist is referred to simply as The Killer, a highly-trained hitman who scrambles to avoid collateral damage after a failed assassination attempt.

The Killer also sees the return of Fincher's collaboration with Se7en screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker and Mank cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt. While The Killer soundtrack is made up of mostly The Smiths' greatest hits, the film is also scored by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who have worked on several of Fincher's other films, such as The Social Network, Gone Girl, Mank, and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Fassbender's character uses songs by The Smiths to help slow down his heart rate during his assassination attempts, as seen in the opening sequence of The Killer, streaming now on Netflix.

Here's Every Song In The Killer, in order:

Every Song On The Killer Soundtrack

There Are A Lot Of Songs By The Smiths

"Well I Wonder" by The Smiths - The first Smiths song in The Killer is featured around the 3:30 minute mark early in the film. The Killer is in position to make an assassination attempt in Paris, scouting the area in the morning from the top of a nearby building parallel to his target's location.

"I Know It's Over" by The Smiths - The Killer stretches as he strategically scouts and awaits the chance to complete his objective in Paris. This second Smiths song plays through the character's headphones as The Killer's narration speaks about his philosophies of life, the world, and his atypical profession.

"How Soon Is Now?" by The Smiths - After waiting all day for his target, The Killer plays this third Smiths song through his headphones as a "focus tool" for his objective. The Killer listens to one of The Smiths' most popular songs as he tries to slow down his heart rate enough so he can make a clean shot at his target.

"Hand In Glove" by The Smiths - The Killer escapes from Paris after his objective goes sideways. Sitting on the plane on a flight back to his hideout in the Dominican Republic, The Killer plays another popular song by The Smiths to calm himself down and get some rest on the 9-hour flight.

"Glory Box" by Portishead - This 1994 track by Portishead plays loudly on speakers throughout the Killer's hideout in the Dominican Republic as he returns from his botched job. The Killer investigates his large home, searching for potential intruders and his girlfriend, Magdala.

"Bigmouth Strikes Again" by The Smiths - Around the 47:20 mark in the film, The Killer listens to another Smiths track as he travels on another flight. The Killer leaves the Dominican Republic for New Orleans to pay an unexpected visit to the Lawyer, Hodges.

"Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now" by The Smiths - The Killer rents a Sprinter van and visits a seemingly typical storage unit that is equipped with weapons, license plates, credit cards, and passports. The song plays through the van speakers as The Killer prepares to meet Hodges, marking the first death on his revenge list in The Killer.

"Girlfriend In A Coma" by The Smiths - This Smiths song plays through the Sprinter van speakers as The Killer makes a curbside pickup at a local Ace Hardware. The Killer acquires a large recycling bin, a nail gun, and other power tools in anticipation of his visit with Hodges.

"Shoplifters of the World Unite" by The Smiths - Seconds later in the film, The Killer is in position outside a law office in downtown New Orleans watching Hodges' assistant Dolores walk across the street. This Smiths song plays through the van speakers as he eats a banana and tracks Dolores's route.

"Unhappy Birthday" by The Smiths - Approximately 23 minutes after the previous Smiths song was heard, "Unhappy Birthday" plays around the 1:03:45 mark. The Killer snaps Dolores's neck, instantly killing her and sending her body down a flight of stairs as the Smiths song plays over the gruesome scene.

"This Charming Man" by The Smiths - This popular Smiths track plays around the 1:05 mark in the film as The Killer boards a car ferry in the rented Sprinter van. By now, The Killer has killed both Hodges and Dolores and plans to dispose of their bodies without detection.

"Chopstick" by Orlando Angelo - This 2020 hip-hop song plays as The Killer travels to Florida to visit The Brute, who likely injured Magdala during the home invasion in the D.R. The music blasts outside the Brute's house as The Killer scopes out the neighborhood.

"Pop Pop" by Avalanche the Architect - Around the 1:09:30 mark in the film, this 2022 hip-hop song plays through the speakers of the Brute's friend's truck. The Killer, who had been waiting all day for his return, follows the Brute's truck to a nearby casino.

"Another Level" by Crewsnot - This song is another track that plays through the Brute's friend's truck speakers as he drops him off at his Florida home. The Killer sees this as the perfect opportunity to break into the house and confront the Brute.

"Pray" by Ryden - This 2020 dance song plays in the lobby at the fictional Baliquinox athletic club as The Killer uses a fake fob to gain access around the 1:40:00 mark. The Killer goes into the men's locker room to steal personal information from the Client named Claybourne in Chicago.

"Stray Beast" by James Saaib - The Killer leaves the Baliquinox after getting what he needs on Claybourne. This upbeat electronic song plays as The Killer watches the seemingly harmless Calybourne running on a treadmill before he exits the athletic club.

"There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" by The Smiths - The final Smiths song plays at the end of The Killer as the credits roll at the 1:51:00 mark. It's a fitting choice to close the Fincher movie with the well-known lyrics "To die by your side is such a heavenly way to die" plays.

Where To Listen To The Killer Soundtrack

The Full Soundtrack Was Released By Netflix

The Killer Soundtrack can be found on Spotify and YouTube through several user-generated playlists. All of the seventeen songs in the soundtrack can be found individually on popular streaming platforms such as Amazon, Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Music. The musical score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross can be found in its entirety on Apple Music, YouTube, and Spotify as well.

Netflix has released an official playlist for The Killer on Apple Music which includes every song featured in the film as well as the Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross musical score. The Killer is the fifth consecutive feature film directed by Favid Fincher that features an atmospheric score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

How The Killer Soundtrack Adds To The Movie

The Soundtrack Adds Layers To The Mysterious Protagonist

The Killer soundtrack aligns with the dark sense of humor Fincher likes to infuse into a lot of his movies with this hitman movie largely being scored by The Smiths. However, the music is also essential to the film and its cryptic protagonist. The Killer is a character the audience doesn't get to know much about due to his lack of interaction with the rest of the world. This is added to by the fact that his narration is a contradiction to his actions, presenting himself as a precise and careful operative only to constantly make mistakes.

Fincher saw the music as a small glimpse inside this character's mind and an opportunity for the audience to understand him a little more (via IndieWire). The Smiths' song “How Soon Is Now?” seems to operate as a sort of calming mantra for The Killer and Fincher thought it was funny to have this be his way of dealing with the anxiety of the dangerous job. Fincher also saw it as a glimpse at his sense of humor, noting The Smiths are known for their witty songwriting. This is also seen in The Killer's use of sitcom names as his aliases.

Fincher is making a sharp and lean pulpy thriller with The Killer which is not concerned with exposition or deep character details. However, it is a master filmmaker like Fincher himself who can take an element of the movie, such as the soundtrack, and use it as a tool to say something more about this character that doesn't need to be said in narration.

The Killer (2023)

R

Director

David Fincher

Release Date

November 10, 2023

Cast

Michael Fassbender , Tilda Swinton , Kerry O'Malley , Charles Parnell , Lacey Dover , Monique Ganderton , Sala Baker

Runtime

118 Minutes