HIT MAN |
★★★★★
30 April 2024
A movie review of HIT MAN.
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Director: Richard Linklater (LAST FLAG FLYING, BOYHOOD, BEFORE MIDNIGHT, ME AND ORSON WELLES).
Starring: Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Retta, Austin Amelio, Gralen Bryant Banks, Sanjay Rao.
“Breathe. Think hitman thoughts,” Gary Johnson (Glen Powell)
Forget TOP GUN: MAVERICK [2022] and ANYONE BUT YOU [2023], this is Glen Powell’s star-making turn. Deserved because he co-wrote this. We first observe Gary Johnson teaching Nietzsche at the University of New Orleans in the psychology and philosophy department. He drives a Honda Civic (movie shorthand for boring). Gary’s cat bowls are labelled “id” and “ego”. His philosophy lectures are humorously juxtaposed against his other job. The ethical debates enhance the narrative, without the filmmakers coming across as pretentious. No mean feat.
Don’t let the generic title fool you. The title is unassuming, like the lead character, but it also suggests darker depths. “Inspired by a true story” sends shivers down my spine – how much is actually factual when those words intro a movie? Here, the rug is gleefully pulled from under the audience (and not in a FARGO [1996] way).
Starring: Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Retta, Austin Amelio, Gralen Bryant Banks, Sanjay Rao.
“Breathe. Think hitman thoughts,” Gary Johnson (Glen Powell)
Forget TOP GUN: MAVERICK [2022] and ANYONE BUT YOU [2023], this is Glen Powell’s star-making turn. Deserved because he co-wrote this. We first observe Gary Johnson teaching Nietzsche at the University of New Orleans in the psychology and philosophy department. He drives a Honda Civic (movie shorthand for boring). Gary’s cat bowls are labelled “id” and “ego”. His philosophy lectures are humorously juxtaposed against his other job. The ethical debates enhance the narrative, without the filmmakers coming across as pretentious. No mean feat.
Don’t let the generic title fool you. The title is unassuming, like the lead character, but it also suggests darker depths. “Inspired by a true story” sends shivers down my spine – how much is actually factual when those words intro a movie? Here, the rug is gleefully pulled from under the audience (and not in a FARGO [1996] way).
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Gary moonlights as a techie for the local police department. Before you go thinking HIT MAN is a recruitment tool for the cops, don’t worry, it is balanced – showing the good eggs and bad apples. Gary is the stay-in-the-van guy. Think Gib (Tom Arnold) in TRUE LIES [1994] and Susan (Melissa McCarthy) in SPY [2015]. Due to a problematic cop, Jasper (Austin Amelio), being suspended for 120 days, Gary is roped into going undercover. Glen Powell is deglamorised at this point. He wears jorts. We feel for him. But we needn’t be concerned. Gary is a natural as a faux assassin for hire. There is a montage of his successful stings, as unsuspecting members of the public try to secure his services for murder. They end up in court. The police stats are something to brag about thanks to Gary. Jasper is not happy.
Gary’s disguises are Mr Potato Head-like. Glen Powell looks to be enjoying himself a lot, and not at the expense of the audience. HIT MAN is a riot. Both Gary’s classes and his sideline are mesmerising. They complement one-another. His voiceover is illuminating. Think the first four seasons of DEXTER [2006-2013]. Gary calls his secondary occupation “field research”. Another gear is shifted into when a new target looks to recruit the lead to off her controlling husband. With Madison (Adria Arjona), you know Gary has met his match. Arjona also delivers a star-making turn. She is an alluring, dreamy, talker. Is she a femme fatale? Gary can’t but help to want to protect her. His life gets exponentially more complicated, along with the tension for the viewer.
HIT MAN juggles tone expertly. It is funny, romantic, exciting. The Madison-Gary sting scene is a masterclass in acting and writing. A shame that the direction is flat and the cinematography unmemorable. HIT MAN would have been even more delightful if panache had been on display. That aside, you don’t often witness a bunch of cynical film critics repeatedly laughing-out-loud together. The audience joy actually drowns out the dialogue at points. I need to watch this again! That alone should recommend.
HIT MAN is Richard Linklater’s ridiculously entertaining return to form.
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