Film Review - Hit Man
Richard Linklater's hugely entertaining romantic thriller features sizzling chemistry from first-rate leads Glen Powell and Adria Arjona
There’s been criticism in some quarters about the limited cinema release of Richard Linklater’s Hit Man; quite justifiably, in my not remotely humble opinion. Netflix continue their lunatic strategy of seldom giving their films a proper wide release, and instead putting them in a handful of cinemas in places like New York and LA (or, here in the UK, in London) as a tokenistic way of claiming it was a cinema release (presumably to qualify for awards). This gives me rage, as with a proper release, Hit Man could have been, well, a hit, instead of yet another streaming non-event dumped into a sea of online ignominy.
Since I only review new releases I see at the cinema, you’ve probably gathered that I did manage to catch Hit Man on the big screen (at the Plymouth Arts Centre, here in southwest England). If you can find a cinema showing it, this is well worth tracking down. Inspired by a 2001 Texas Monthly magazine article by Skip Hollandsworth, it’s a grown-up crowd-pleaser with shades of film noir, steamy romance, black comedy, and a few surprising twists. In short, it’s a smashing film.
Glen Powell plays Gary Johnson, a university philosophy lecturer who works part-time for the New Orleans police department as a technical assistant. One day, he’s asked to go undercover in one of the many sting operations he’d previously only witnessed, pretending to be a hitman and get a recorded confession from the person attempting the hire. This he does rather well, so he continues with other targets. His success increases as he invents a variety of flamboyant personas to dupe his “clients”, until one day he meets the beautiful Madison (Adria Arjona), who wants to murder her abusive, controlling husband.
There’s an immediate romantic spark between Madison and Gary (or rather “Ron”, the hitman alter-ego he has selected). Instead of attempting the usual sting by getting her to confess her intent, Gary persuades Madison not to go through with the hit. Subsequently, she becomes sexually involved with “Ron”, still assuming he’s a hitman. Thinking he can keep up the ruse indefinitely, Gary slowly starts to think and act more and more like his alter-ego. The plot throws in a few twists that I won’t spoil, as secrets and lies threaten to collapse the whole house of cards. Or will Gary be clever enough to find a way through it all?
Powell and Arjona are simply terrific. Their onscreen chemistry is an electrifying breath of fresh air, in a rather prudish modern film scene often depressingly bereft of old-fashioned passionate love affairs. There’s also an interesting philosophical debate underpinning the narrative, expounded on in scenes where Gary lectures his students on whether there is such a thing as a true persona, or whether people can change into someone else. This of course is reflected in the way Gary pinballs from his original persona to that of “Ron”.
But this isn’t a film that gets bogged down in philosophy or insufferable quirk. Instead, Hit Man has wit and sexiness to spare. I rank it alongside Linklater’s very best films; an eclectic body of work including Dazed and Confused (1993), Before Sunrise (1995), School of Rock (2003), Me and Orson Welles (2008), and Boyhood (2014).
In summary, Hit Man is a hugely enjoyable romantic thriller that damn well should have had a proper mainstream release. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this winds up on my best films of 2024 list. If at all possible, please see this at the cinema on principle, and only resort to streaming if there is no other alternative.
(Originally published at Medium.)
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