It’s a tale as old as time; a jilted wife wants revenge, a greedy husband wants to claim on an insurance policy, an employee is so poorly treated by their boss that this is somehow the only solution, so they hire a hitman: someone willing to get their hands dirty and erase their client’s problems – permanently. But what these clients never planned for was that their hitman was working for the police!
Hit Man, from School of Rock and Dazed and Confused director Richard Linklater, tells the totally unbelievable yet (partly) true story of Gary Johnson, one of the most successful “hitmen” of all time. Co-written by and starring Glen Powell, Hit Man is the larger-than-life tale of an ordinary man, his extraordinary skills, and a beautiful woman who almost derailed his life.
Based on the 2001 Texas Monthly article on Johnson by Skip Hollandsworth, Hit Man follows Gary, an ordinary and unassuming college professor who moonlights as a tech guy for the New Orleans Police Department, assisting them during sting operations as the guy in the van.
When the prickly and volatile NOPD detective Jasper gets suspended right before their latest op, Gary is unwittingly pushed to take his place. To the shock of everyone on the op, Gary is an absolute natural in the field and soon enough he’s their go-to hitman. A true chameleon, Gary creates multiple personas complete with prosthetics, accents, and costumes to be the exact person their target needs him to be, lulling them into a false security and lining them up to incriminate themselves with zero violence and zero bloodshed.
However, things start to go tail up when Gary takes on the persona of Ron, a confident, sexy, yet kind hitman for Madison Masters (Adria Arjona), a beautiful and battered woman looking to escape her abusive husband. Moved by her situation, Gary, as Ron, convinces her to back out of the job and start over somewhere her husband can’t find her. And that would have been that, except Gary is smitten and suddenly he’s wrapped up in Madison’s life as her new boyfriend. But like any house of cards, it only takes one moment for the whole thing to come tumbling down and Gary finds himself caught playing both sides of the law to keep Madison safe and in his life.
In this direct-to-streaming comedy romp, Glen Powell cements himself as a Hollywood heavyweight on the rise. As Gary Johnson, Powell gets to explore a myriad of characters and personas, from the Patrick Bateman American Psycho and vaguely creepy British guy to the suave Ron and deep south gun-toting hillbilly type. But perhaps the most incredible transformation of all? That Powell, an objectively attractive man, was somehow able to look kinda lame as the somewhat bland and boring Gary.
No matter which mask he has on at any point in the film, Powell puts on an incredible performance overflowing with charisma, wit, and captivating presence. Having co-written the script with Linklater, Powell shows a masterful control over the dialogue and played each “character” so convincingly he could effortlessly give James McAvoy a la Split a run for his money.
Not content to let Powell hog the spotlight, Adria Arjona is an absolute delight as the sweet yet surprisingly volatile love interest Madison Masters. Mostly known for smaller ensemble roles in the Ryan Reynolds-led 6 Underground and the entirely forgettable Morbius, Arjona is simply delightful on screen. She is coy, flirty, vulnerable, fierce and a great on-screen match for Powell, somehow giving the film even more dimension than it already has. While Arjona’s career has gotten off to a somewhat stuttering start, her standout performance in Hit Man should be more than enough to help her secure more leading roles in the future.
Visually, Hit Man is just really fun. Splicing together jazzy cuts, bold colours, loud action and exceptional asides delivered by the marvellous Retta and Sanjay Rao, Hit Man is absolutely stacked with everything you need for a night of entertainment.
Without overstating it, Linklater and Powell have managed to deliver one of the funniest, sexiest, most satisfying, and romantic movies of the last few years. While Powell has shown solid comedic performances as far back as his stint on the short-lived horror comedy series Scream Queens, this latest role in Hit Man proves that his rising celebrity is not merely a collective fever dream. Glen Powell is a genuine star and it’s time everyone took notice.
Hit Man is streaming now on Netflix.