TL;DR – A wild film with commitment in the subtext, the literal text, and also a promise to the audience.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix service that viewed this film.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Hit Man Review –

There has been a lot of talk about who is going to be the next leading man in Hollywood. Indeed, I think the last person to claim that honestly might have been Tom Cruise, maybe Robby Downer Jr., but then the question is always who is going to fill that role in the near future. When it came to raw power, we have seen that Glen Powell has that in spades, but does he have the range? Well, that is the question I think we will get an answer about today.   
So to set the scene, Gary Johnson (Glen Powell) is the epitome of a mild-mannered professor. Who spends the day teaching psychology and philosophy and nights feeding his cats. Oh, and he just shop happens to have a side hustle working undercover for the New Orleans Police Department. Traditionally, he stayed in the van working on all the tech stuff he installed. Still, one day, when the undercover officer Jasper (Austin Amelio) was not able to make it, his boss Claude (Retta) was out of options. In a moment, Gary was a hitman for hire. At least, that is what he pretends to be.  

Wow, what a genuinely wild film, more so in that it was sort of based on a real person, though I doubt the second half of the film bears any response to reality. But even putting that aside for a moment, the set-up for this narrative is solid gold. He is a mild-mannered college professor who goes through a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde like transformation when he discovers his inner theatre kid. But his medium was not the stage but potential homicides. Look, I think I would recommend this film on that premise alone, but it is also way more than just that.

There are so many intelligent choices that go into a production like this. First, Glen Powell commits to every single fake role that he is in while also seeing those roles bleed into his real life. At any moment during the film, you will see him jump into entirely new characters, and that always keeps you on your toes. Some of those characters are very unflattering, yet Powell sells each and every one. This is important not just for the character but for helping to keep the audience always just that little off balance because they need you to never be quite comfortable in the moment.

Thankfully, Glen Powell and Adria Arjona have fantastic chemistry with each other, like maybe the best chemistry I have seen this year so far. That chemistry is essential because it goes to the heart of the narrative and also the direction the film takes. All throughout the film is the theme of commitment and what that means. Gary is committing to his cover identities, and Madison is committing to her new life. That is just the surface of what this film is doing, and trust me, it is doing a lot.    

While Glen Powell is upfront, this is also a film that would not work if everyone was not committed to the bit. I think they hired every character actor in Louisiana, and the film is better suited for it. I loved the little police unit they had going, though I would have loved Retta to get a bit more to do. She only really had one scene that showed just how good a comedic actor she is. Also, mad respect to Austin Amelio, who spends the whole film sitting there, making you wonder why he is in it only for him to take the stage and own it in the most dramatic way.

Structurally, I think it is an incredibly well constructed narrative. It builds in a way where you feel everything is going at quite a predictable pace before taking some wild turns that grabs you and takes you with it. When I tell you that you will not know how this film will end, trust me, I am not over-exaggerating. I think this is the most shocking thing I have seen since, maybe Saltburn. But more so in how they commit to the bit that they have built all film. It is an ending rooted in the performances rather than a swerve.

In the end, do we recommend Hit Man? As always, this is dealing with some very mature content, and that will be a deal breaker for some. But the acting was top-notch, the scenario was delightful, and I was captivated from start to finish. If you liked Hit Man, we would recommend to you The Big Sick.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you watched Hit Man?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 


Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Hit Man
Directed by – Richard Linklater
Screenplay by – Richard Linklater & Glen Powell
Based on – “Hit Man” by Skip Hollandsworth
Music by – Graham Reynolds
Cinematography by – Shane F. Kelly
Edited by – Sandra Adair
Production/Distribution Companies – AGC Studios, Monarch Media, S.H. Pictures, Barnstorm & Netflix
Starring – Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Austin Amelio, Retta, Sanjay Rao, Evan Holtzman & Molly Bernard with Gralen Bryant Banks, Mike Markoff, Bryant Carroll, Kate Adair, Martin Bradford, Morgana Shaw, Ritchie Montgomery, Richard Robichaux, Jonas Lerway, Jordan Joseph, Garrison Allen, Beth Bartley, Donna Duplantier, Michele Jang, Stephanie Hong, Joel Griffin, KC Simms, & Murphee Bloom
Rating – Australia: MA15+;