“The Killer is the antithesis of those Brioni suit-wearing, luxury car-driving, fancy hotel suite-staying mercenaries we often see in the movies,” writes Richard Roeper in the Chicago Sun Times, describing the eponymous character in The Killer. “His whole thing is to blend in, to be anonymous and forgettable.” Roeper is mostly correct. Michael Fassbender, who plays the lead assassin, subverts many of the action-hero tropes we’ve become familiar with thanks to the John Wick, Jason Bourne, and Mission Impossible franchises. In The Killer, Fassbender’s unexpectedly relaxed demeanor and quick wit (and then there’s his love for the band The Smiths) offer something new to a genre in desperate need of refreshment. Still, Roeper’s use of “antithesis” may be a bit strong. When he needs to, Fassbender employs all the necessary machismo and swagger that make the genre worth watching in the first place. The Killer finds an ideal balance between the swashbuckling savage and the relatable, even sympathetic protagonist. Its battle sequences don’t disappoint, either. —Jack Sullivan

The Killer will be available for streaming on Netflix beginning November 10