Where Was The Killer Filmed? David Fincher Thriller’s Filming Locations Explained

Warning: This post contains spoilers for The Killer.

While unfolding its action and revenge drama, David Fincher’s The Killer walks through several picturesque real-world locations, making it hard not to wonder where its filming took place. Based on Alexis “Matz” Nolent’s French graphic novel series of the same name, The Killer centers on a stoic, methodical assassin (played by Michael Fassbender) who finds himself on a vengeful path after one of his missions goes wrong and his own employers turn against him. Like all David Fincher movies, The Killer is primarily driven by its well-written character beats, intricate storytelling, and exceptional camera work.

With his emphasis on angles and character movements, David Fincher brings motion to every emotion Michael Fassbender brings to his character. However, even though the David Fincher psychological thriller heavily focuses on giving viewers a first-person perspective on the protagonist’s inner thoughts and inhibitions, it also emphasizes his surroundings by highlighting how his pursuit of revenge takes him on a globe-trotting adventure. Owing to this, it is hard not to notice all the real-world locations in the backdrops of The Killer‘s action scenes and thrilling drama.

Paris, France – Place de l’Estrapade

The Killer Narrates His Routine And Misses His Target

The opening arc of David Fincher’s The Killer unfolds in Paris, where Michael Fassbender’s unnamed assassin character sets up his sniper rifle and prepares to kill his new target. While waiting for his target to arrive at his hotel room, he listens to music, practices yoga, and even speaks with his handler, Hodges. While at it, he talks about the importance of his routine and the often tedious nature of his job. In the scene where The Killer looks back at his life and presents an intriguing monologue, he can be seen eating fast food at The Place de l’Estrapade, a public square in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France.

With what follows, The Killer finally finds his target entering his hotel room with a dominatrix. He sets his eyes on him and goes for the kill. However, to his dismay, he misses the target and kills the dominatrix instead. Although his target’s bodyguards spot him, he manages to escape in the nick of time. This marks the end of his story arc in Paris and the inception of his journey in the Dominican Republic.

Dominican Republic – Parque Colon

The Killer Visits His Secret Hideout

After fleeing Paris, The Killer arrives in the Dominican Republic. In a few scenes, the famous Parque Colon (or Columbus Park) can also be spotted in the main character’s background. Upon arriving at his secret hideout in the Caribbean, The Killer discovers that his home has been broken into. To learn about who tried to break into his home, he first finds the cab driver who drove the assassins to his place. When the driver, Leo, describes the assassins, The Killer speculates that Hodges might have sent them over to his place. With this, The Killer kills Leo and departs from the Dominican Republic to move to New Orleans.

New Orleans, Lousiana – Breaux Mart Chalmett

The Killer Shops At a Local Grocery And Later Kills Hodges And Dolores

After The Killer moves to New Orleans, eagle-eyed viewers may spot that he shops at the Breaux Mart Chalmett supermarket to prepare for the next step in his revenge plan. In the moments that follow, he disguises himself as a sanitation worker and enters Hodges’ office building. While he gives Hodges a slow and painful death, he complies with his secretary’s demands after she offers him the identities of the assassins. Instead of killing her slowly, he gives her a sudden, non-suspicious death that would allow her family to claim her life insurance. Leaving a trail of blood behind him, The Killer travels to St. Petersburg, Florida.

The sequences where The Killer breaks into The Brute’s home and almost dies in the process of killing him were not filmed in Florida. Instead, they were shot in New Orleans itself, where the film’s production team built a house on the sets. In David Fincher’s The Killer, once Michael Fassbender’s character manages to kill The Brute despite being gravely injured, he goes to New York to hit the final nail in his vengeful quest.

Chicago, Illinois – Midtown Athletic Club

The Killer Set Out To Kill His Client

Chicago and St. Charles, Illinios, were disguised as New York for the filming of The Killer‘s closing arc. The Killer‘s ending moments, where Fassbender’s assassin character finally confronts the billionaire client who had initially hired him, were primarily filmed at Chicago’s Midtown Athletic Club. Before The Killer‘s credits start rolling, the titular character returns to the Dominican Republic, where his partner, Magdala, recovers while he considers retirement.