The world is desperately crying out for a comedy that is actually worth its chops. Richard Linklater’s Hit Man possibly wasn’t supposed to be an out-and-out comedy, but the laughs are aplenty.
As the film’s synopsis suggests, “Professional killer Gary Johnson (Glen Powell) breaks protocol to help a desperate woman trying to flee an abusive husband and finds himself falling for her.” This isn’t to be confused with 2007’s Hitman – all one word – where Agent 47 ends up killing a target’s lookalike rather than the real deal.
Instead, Linklater’s wacky yet light-hearted touch previously seen in films such as Dazed and Confused and Before Sunrise effortlessly transpires into the contract killer that was never meant to be. Leading man Powell has also lent his talents offscreen, credited as co-writing the picture alongside Linklater and Skip Hollingsworth.
Although the overall story might not leave an impression lasting enough to outshine the cacophony of films also heading to Netflix in the near future, Hit Man is an undeniably enjoyable romp once viewers are sucked in.
Glen Powell is the man and the moment
Gary was never supposed to be in the hit man business. In fact, he still isn’t – with his actual role involving taking down criminals looking to off their enemies in partnership with the police. When their front guy gets reprimanded, it’s up to square, average-looking Gary to jump in as the supposed Hit Man instead of feeding them information from an unmarked van outside. As a philisophy lecturer, Gary takes to the psychological side of things, dressing up as a who he imagines his target might see as a murderer.
It’s here that Powell’s seamless range is allowed to shine. Moving from stereoptyical American to Russian overlord – even extending to a play on Patrick Bateman – all of Powell’s transformations roll off of the tongue. Duping and charming everyone he sets his methodical sights on, Gary has exactly the same effect on his awaiting audience. In the words of one of his philiosphy students, “When did our teacher get so hot?”
One of these characters soon sticks, known as Ron, catching the attention of Madison (Adria Arjona). Trying to leave her abusive husband, she turns to Ron for help, but their entanglement soon morphs into a full-blown relationship. From here, Gary is living a double life, with the mishaps between the two hitting the comedy spots anyone would expect from a spy-like spoof.
Killing can be kitschy comedy
Hit Man has undeniably brought back the kitschy comedy. Full-out scenes play to huge laughs, with Retta as Gary’s undercover colleague frequently chimining in with the more grounded one-liners to finish each running joke off. This is an achievement that is largely down to the film’s tight casting, but the fairly fresh spin on the storyline also holds just as much merit.
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Based on the real Gary Johnson’s memoir, there’s a level of unbelivability to everything Powell undertakes. Surely all of these wayward and dramatized figures looking for a hit man’s help didn’t actually exist – until smaller details in Linklater’s direction allows audiences to think that actually, said criminal could be anybody walking down the street. Hit Man tows a delicate line between parody and reality, and it’s the absurd blurring of this line that allows for full-throttle fun to be had.
At the same time, it’s difficult to say if this story will be an overly memorable one. In the throes of action and the immediate aftermath, the hype of Hit Man is ever-present. But when that begins to wane, Gary Johnson might just be anonymous enough to evade capture. Hit Man is best described as pleasant, infallible, and a joy to watch. Yet, the film might fall short of descriptors such as “unmissable.”
Hit Man review score: 4/5
Out of the films that are tackling the thorny genre of thriller in 2023, Hit Man is up there in the ranks.
Linklater’s latest is a guaranteed good time, packed with unique and empathetic characters and narrative just about original enough to take audiences some place new. Chances are though, these audiences might forget all about it in a month or two.
Though no release window is known yet, Hit Man has been bought by Netflix for a tidy $20 million sum.
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