HIT MAN (2024) - Mark Reviews Movies

Hit Man, Netflix

Follow on Facebook | Follow on Twitter | Become a Patron

Review by Mark Dujsik | May 23, 2024

It's surprising how much fun Hit Man is, considering that the story is inherently and increasingly unsettling in its depiction of man who perhaps becomes too good at lying. Director Richard Linklater and star Glen Powell's screenplay (based on a magazine article by Skip Hollandsworth) is "somewhat" based on the true story of Gary Johnson. He was a real jack of all trades, as it would seem from a sincere memorial for the man, who died in 2022, at the end of the film. Well, he was adept at all of the trades depicted here except for one, which the filmmakers announce is a case of dramatic license.

What is true, apparently, is that the real Johnson was a college professor who moonlighted doing undercover work for the police. At first, it's because Gary (Powell) has some technology skills, preparing and placing hidden microphones and cameras at sting operations. The cops are trying to catch people in the act of hiring a professional killer to eliminate someone they see as a problem—usually a spouse or lover, apparently.

In reality, hitmen don't exist, Gary informs us via narration, but decades of portrayals of such murderers-for-hire in movies, in books, and on television have convinced pretty much everyone that such underhanded people can be found simply by the asking the right contacts the right questions. The job of the undercover operations isn't to dispel people of this notion but to help confirm it, so that the cops can come in and arrest the would-be hirers of a murderer once an agreement has been made and money has been exchanged.

The premise/joke of the film arrives when Gary is asked to take over as the fake hitman during one of the operations. He's just a mild-mannered and, based on how everyone reacts whenever he speaks, boring guy—going on and on about the psychology of identity in class, spending lonely evenings in his home eating at a small table and tending to his two cats, and keeping feed available for the local birds. The most exciting anecdote he can muster for some small talk is about a birdwatching trip he took a few years back, and the eyes of the two police officers (played by Retta and Sanjay Rao) who listen in on the stings just glaze over instantly.

Despite that, it turns out that Gary is actually quite adept at playing a cold-blooded killer. Calling himself "Ron," Gary describes how he'd murder a target, dispose of a body, and ensure there's no trace without missing a beat and in chillingly intricate detail. He's so convincing, in fact, that he becomes the department's new undercover asset for such operations, adopting different types of characters.

People also seem to like "Ron" more than plain, bland, and dull Gary. As such, the film, in addition to its clever plot, becomes a showcase for Powell, as the actor shifts from a big nobody to a tough, calculating persona on a dime, and he displays a level of charm mixed with, as the charade of "Ron" starts to take over his actual personality, a degree of sliminess, without losing track of the generally genial tone accomplished by Linklater.

As for that plot, it's complicated, to say the least, but in ways that are more about how people can or can't change than external convolutions and contrivances. One of the targets of a sting is Maddy (Adria Arjona), who shows up thinking "Ron" will be able to get rid of her controlling and abusive husband. The two talk at a little diner, less about business—as is the way these things usually go" and more about themselves. They joke and laugh and even flirt a little bit, and Gary realizes it might be better to steer this woman away from incriminating herself and toward just leaving the louse of a husband.

From there, an affair starts, despite Gary's ethical qualms and because being "Ron" has been so successful at giving this guy a boost of confidence. The developing romance is equally sweet, because we know—or, at least, suspect that both of these characters are lonely and vulnerable underneath the tough exteriors they put forth, and sexy, because they enjoy being together and on account of the danger that this relationship brings.

After all, Gary is definitely crossing all sorts of lines of professional ethics and personal morality, keeping up the illusion of "Ron" whenever he's with Maddy. For her part, there's still the matter of the husband (played by Evan Holtzman), who's out there somewhere and presumably hasn't taken to his wife leaving him too well.

How that character, a corrupt undercover cop named Jasper (Austin Amelio), and the extent to which Gary becomes "Ron" are among the twisty surprises of the script, which is so intriguing as a character study and compelling as an inherently warped romance that we almost forget there are probably bigger complications down the line of this story. Linklater approaches all of it—the easy sense of comedy, the philosophical ramifications of trying to change one's identity and personality, the mounting troubles and revelations of Gary becoming involved with someone who was once under investigation for a murder plot—in a relaxed, unassuming way.

As a result, it all works together, in spite of how much the film tries to accomplish, and stays light on its feet throughout. Hit Man may finally arrive at some dark places, but Linklater's skilled control of the tone here, as well as the charismatic leads, make even that feel like part of the fun—a more demented type but still fun, regardless.

Back to Home

Buy Related Products