Hit Man delivers the goods
Streaming Movie Review - Comedy/Thriller - Netflix
Theater kids are often some of the most maligned kids in high schools. A little odd, a little dramatic, a little over-the-top. So when we watch movies with suave, gorgeous stars in them, we can forget that a lot of them are former theater kids. But every once in a while, we get the hint that these stunning people might have been perceived as something else not that long ago. This is heavily on display with Glen Powell’s character in Richard Linklater’s newest film, Hit Man, now streaming on Netflix.
Gary (Glen Powell) is a college philosophy professor. He is divorced and lives alone with his cats, spending his free time birdwatching. One day, as he is doing some computer work with the local police department, he is roped into posing as a killer for hire. He discovers that he has a knack for creating personas that connect with potential criminals, and he leans into that work. But when he meets Maddy (Adria Arjona), a woman hiring him to kill her husband, he feels an instant connection and talks her out of her plans. When they meet again later, they begin a relationship that could compromise his work with the police department, especially when Jasper (Austin Amelio) starts sniffing around.
This is such a fun movie. That it is based on a true story makes it all the more entertaining, but even if it was created entirely from whole cloth, this film would be a rollicking good time.Â
The performances in this are wonderful. Powell and Arjona have an electric chemistry. Their scenes are steamy, but there is also an ease between them that doesn’t always translate when a couple has that kind of animal magnetism. But this movie’s success is firmly in the hands of Powell. He plays numerous different characters in this, completely with wigs and makeup, and the result is hilarious. Powell is well on his way to superstardom, and I can’t wait to see where he ends up.
My only quibble with this movie is that it seems a little unsure about how to blend his life as a professor with his life as a pretend hit man. There is an incongruity there that makes the scenes where he is shown with students feel jarring. The students begin to notice when he integrates more of his Ron persona with his Gary persona, but it never feels natural. Additionally, I would have liked to see a little more of Gary spill over into his Ron character. The two just seemed almost entirely separate in ways that stretched credulity.
But the complaints about this movie are minor. Hit Man blends genres like action, rom-com, and thriller together effortlessly and will likely appeal in some way to nearly everyone who turns it on. And when people see Glen Powell donning his red wig, they may rethink bullying those theater kids.
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This review originally appeared in The Dominion Post on June 8, 2024.
I couldn’t get into this one. I enjoy Powell. The chemistry was just sexual with not a lot of cerebral connection to balance it. I agree that the balancing of nerdy professor with pretend hit man wasn’t gelling.
Great review! I agree with you that there's an "ease" to their chemistry that you don't often see when two characters have a strong attraction like in "Body Heat."