A professor moonlighting as a hit man of sorts for his city police department descends into dangerous, dubious territory when he finds himself attracted to a woman who enlists his services.
Hitmen are by and large a myth that was created by Hollywood, or at least what society thinks a hitman is. Hitmen are not the contracted killers that you would find in series such as John Wick and Hitman, but in reality, are government agents or members of the mafia/gangs. Upon realizing this revelation, the Harris County District Attorney’s office hired Gary Johnson, a professor in psychology, to play their fake hitman. Over the course of 30 years, it led to over 70 arrests as an undercover agent. Upon stumbling on Johnson’s story in the Texas Monthly, Director Richard Linklater and Actor Glen Powell took on the task of bringing his story to the big screen. With a bit of Hollywood embellishment, they managed to make a hit.
Hit Man is a fun crowd-pleasing romp that feels like a blast from the past. From the cheesy hitman disguises to the perpetrators who hire the “hitman”, Hit Man embraces the absurdity of its real-life counterpart. But it is more than just a classic romp, it is easily one of the smartest films of the year that is not afraid to be sexy and morally complex. In the film introduction, we listen to a lecture about the psychology of the Ego, the Id, and the Superego, and how these primitive and civilized characteristics are in constant battle with one another. This little introduction introduces us to the central conflict that Gary (Glen Powell) will experience throughout the film as he begins to take on more Id characteristics of one of his hitman disguises when he meets Maddy (Adria Arjona). He transforms from an awkward and weird psychology professor to a smooth-talking, sexy “hitman” who will breach your defenses. This internal conflict adds a thought-provoking layer to a comedy about a fake hitman, that is warmly welcomed.
Glen Powell turns in a star-clinching performance as Gary Johnson. The Top Gun: Marverick breakout continues his trend of playing charismatic hot guys, but this time decides to subvert his typecast. When he is first introduced he completely sells this awkward philosophy professor who struggles in social settings and is a victim to his own insecurities. Then as he begins to take on his hitman persona, he transforms into this confident, charming, sexy character, is perfection. Then to see him morally recon with his more conscious Ego of a psychology professor and his more primitive Id of a hitman persona is fascinating to watch. Then when he is alongside his co-star Adria Arjona, it makes for a very steamy movie. Arjona also plays an equally fascinating character. When she is first introduced, she is a shell of a woman who is in an abusive relationship and slowly transforms into a femme-fatale character. Her transformation is as fascinating as Powell’s, but I do wish that she was a bit more than a femme-fatale trope.
Overall, Hit Man is a hit. From the trailer, you would believe that Hit Man is a steamy rom-com about someone getting in way over their head. Which is true, but this film is so much more than that. It is as smart and witty as it is morally thought-provoking. Richard Linklater and Glen Powell went above and beyond with their screenplay and I can’t wait to see what these two do next. The only disappointment is that Hit Man only got a limited release instead of a full theatrical release because this would have been a box office hit.
My Rating: A-
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