“Hit Man” (2023) is directed by Richard Linklater and stars Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Austin Amelio and Retta. The movie was screened at a few film festivals in 2023, with Netflix securing distribution rights at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. It played in select theaters on May 24, 2024, before being available to stream on Netflix in June.
The film is based on a similarly titled 2001 Texas Monthly article by Skip Hollandsworth. It detailed a man named Gary Johnson, who worked undercover for the Houston Police Department. Linklater had previously used Hollandsworth’s article “Midnight in the Garden of East Texas” as the basis for his 2011 film “Bernie” starring Jack Black.
Powell plays Gary Johnson, a college professor of psychology and philosophy at the University of New Orleans. He works for the New Orleans Police Department part-time and helps with undercover sting operations, where he poses as a hitman and solicits secretly recorded confessions from his customers.
Gary is only a tech guy initially; however, he is ushered into a hitman role once a fellow police officer and hitman, Jasper (Amelio), is suspended. He is initially scared to talk to the people who hired him as a hitman, but his first operation impresses other officers listening in after going extremely well.
During Jasper’s suspension, which lasts 120 days, Gary poses as a variety of hitmen-based suspects’ expectations researched in advance. Such personas include a Patrick Bateman-inspired persona named ‘X’ and ‘Ron,’ the one audiences get to see Powell portray the most.
“Hit Man” is every actor's dream come true. Powell is the lead, but his character must play other characters to the best of his ability. These personas lead to a wide array of performances from Powell, and honestly, this is where some of his best material comes from in the film.
It is not Powell playing a hitman like Ron or X, it is Powell playing Gary playing a hitman. To quote Ben Stiller’s “Tropic Thunder (2008), Powell is basically “a dude, playing a dude, disguised as another dude.”
In most of his career, Powell has rarely played the lead in a film. He has recently played a co-lead and received recognition for his role in “Anyone But You” (2023), but has also garnered recognition for his supporting role in “Top Gun: Maverick” (2022).
While Powell’s performances in those two films are great, the testament of how good he is as an actor is shown greatly in “Hit Man.” Powell could have easily fallen into a trap where he is just a handsome guy wwithout any opportunity to shine in movies. Thankfully, it looks like production companies and filmmakers are watching him closely.
Powell is not the only actor making “Hit Man” work this well. Arjona, his co-star, gives a career-best performance as Madison Masters. Powell and Arjona have excellent chemistry, and their romance is the film’s meat.
Madison is a woman desperate to have her controlling and abusive husband killed by a hitman. Gary meets Madison as ‘Ron’ in a diner, and they begin flirting. Gary soon becomes sympathetic to Madison and ultimately fails to receive a confession, disappointing his colleagues: Claudette (Retta), Phil (Sanjay Rao) and Jasper.
Shortly after, Gary (as ‘Ron’) begins a relationship with Madison and only interacts with Madison in this persona. He becomes more liked by Claudette and Phil, as well as Madison, creating something thematically rich, interesting and dramatic.
When the audience is treated to scenes of Gary teaching students in his classroom, the topics discussed deal with themes of identity and knowing your true self. In the first act of the film, Gary is unsure of his true self. He is your typical, dorky professor.
When he meets Madison, it makes him more confident and he yearns to go forward in a relationship with her. Gary also shows he is becoming more like Ron outside of his time with Madison.
The film then questions whether Gary’s true self is more aligned with how he was before meeting Madison or how he acts as Ron after meeting Madison. It is an interesting theme and something that makes this film even more special.
This film also serves as a light-hearted and hilarious comedy, which Linklater and Powell wrote together. It will not matter if the audience is a fan of Linklater and his previous work because this film is more accessible and crowd-pleasing compared to films like “A Scanner Darkly” (2006) and “Waking Life” (2001).
“Hit Man” is a juicy film with a lot to unpack. It contains everything that makes for a good watch: good characters to root for, an intriguing plot and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. If you have a Netflix subscription, please do yourself a favor and watch this fantastic film.
Rating: 4/5
