Whenever a film begins by stating that what is about to be seen is based “somewhat on a true story”, and that somewhat true story has been played around with by Richard Linklater (School of Rock, Boyhood), it’s probably going to be a darkly comedic good time.
So, what happens when you get such a crazy “true” story, a darkly comedic good time, combined with the devilish charm of one of Hollywood’s current men of the hour, Glen Powell (Anyone But You)?
You get Hit Man, potentially in the running the most entertaining, funny, charming, sexy, dark, insane romantic comedy/crime film ever made!
Gary Johnson (Powell) is a dorky, timid philosophy professor who lives a “passionless” life (according to his ex-wife), which is something Gary finds contentment with. Gary also moonlights as a tech-geek for the New Orleans Police Department, creating discreet wire taps and cameras used to catch out people who are trying to hire hitmen.
When the undercover cop going into the stings is suddenly stood down from the force, Gary is thrust into a world of disguises, characters, and shticks, where he quickly discovers he has a theatrical talent for getting people to confess their criminal intentions.
However, when Madison Masters (Adria Arjona) reaches out to hitman “Ron” (one of Gary’s many undercover characters) to kill her husband, Gary’s complicated, love-at-first-sight feelings for Madison cause him to botch the sting. Things become even more convoluted for Gary when a mutual attraction shared by Madison forces Gary to completely adopt the persona of “Ron”, all the while Gary must keep up appearances as the professor and undercover sting master.
Collaborating on the screenplay with Linklater, Glen Powell earns his first feature film writing credit with Hit Man, and while the “somewhat of a true story” aspect of the script definitely has a fair bit of salt sprinkled over it by Linklater and Powell, the true focus of Hit Man is that it’s a vehicle showcasing a strength of Glen Powell’s acting that hasn’t necessarily been seen by audiences before.
“Ron” as a character features the cool, cocky, charming remnants of Hangman from Top Gun: Maverick and Ben from Anyone But You. But Powell is playing Gary Johnson, a character far removed from those guys, and Powell really shines in the nuance of Gary’s timid nature. The goofy clothes, long, slicked hair and thick-rimmed glasses assist the physical transformation into Gary, but Powell manages to make Gary feel real in this world, without turning into a caricature of what Gary could have been.
The fun is truly had, for seemingly Powell as much as it is for the audience, when the various characters are created for the stings. The stereotypical Russian muscle, a psycho with a bowl-hair cut Brit, and a dip-spittin’ Texan are just a handful of the cavalcade of comedic bits that provide a lot of laughs and a lot of entertainment.
Hit Man is constantly breaking down the Hollywood-created idea of what societies expectations of a hit man really are, which not only allows for these comedic moments, but adds an interesting layer to the character of Gary.
Gary often lectures to his students about the id and ego (to the point where he’s also named his dogs Id and Ego!). So, when Gary must completely adopt the person of “Ron”, the changes that happen in Gary’s life are directly affected by this, and having a very-well placed and delivered voice-over throughout the film really fleshes out the internal battle of id and ego in Gary’s life. It’s this substance that takes the characters and story down a far deeper rabbit hole than expected.
The intricate character work only then works in favour of the comedy and charm that is oozing throughout Hit Man. The chemistry between “Ron” and Madison is no better described than sexy. The electricity between them, romantically and physically, solidifies the romance aspect of the film. Their meet-cute banter works immediately and only grows with each scene.
And when the latter half of the film takes some darker turns in the narrative, the authentic relationship that’s been built between Powell and Arjona adds real emotional investment into the rising stakes. But, in classic Linklater fashion, no matter how twisted the finale gets, it never loses that comedic charm.
Part of that comedic charm is found in the supporting cast, who all standout individually by working so well together. Retta and Sanjay Rao have great buddy-cop chemistry as Gary’s police co-workers. Austin Amelio gives a brilliant turn in his second Linklater film (coincidentally also with Glen Powell in Everybody Wants Some!) as the more renegade-type undercover cop who becomes suspect of Gary’s handling of the initial Madison sting, and the unhinged-but-not-crazy energy Amelio brings to the screen only exacerbates the moments of tension that slowly rise throughout the story.
Hit Man on the surface is an incredibly entertaining, funny, sexy, charming romantic comedy, that has a dark, twisted crime caper bubbling underneath, whilst also being a fascinating character study about ego at its core. Glen Powell is a standout with a performance that highlights all of his strengths as an actor, and the chemistry he shares with Adria Arjona is electric. This is one of Richard Linklater’s best films. An absolute crowd pleaser.
Hit Man is streaming on Netflix June 7.
