Review: Hit Man

Directed by: Richard Linklater

Written by: Richard Linklater & Glen Powell

Starring: Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Austin Amelio, Retta, Sanjay Rao

Rating: [4.5/5]

Getting involved in a game of deception creates pockets of opportunity where fact and fiction intertwine and can get one in a precarious situation. The deception either needs to continue with proficiency or come crumbling down leaving those in the midst of the crosshairs. Hit Man lives within its deception but also its exploratory look at how this operates psychologically within its tense, hilarious, and steamy plot making for an effortlessly enjoyable viewing experience. 

Applying his trade as a college psychology professor, who does some side tech work for the New Orleans Police Department, Gary Johnson (Glen Powell) unexpectedly needs to step in and pose as a hitman to finish a sting operation. When he finds success in the role, he gets tagged to continue and all goes well until he intervenes in a request by a scared woman, Madison (Adria Arjona), who wants to kill her husband. 

Locking down an arrest and ironclad conviction for individuals looking to hire a hitman to take care of a job comes in two parts: the direct request and an exchange of money for the services the patron would like serviced. This serves as the two pieces Gary needs when he goes undercover and meets with these individuals. A simple transaction and yet one that has large ramifications for all involved. As we see Gary navigate each case, he puts an intense amount of research and planning to decipher what kind of hitman each of these individuals would expect to make them feel comfortable with the request but it also digs into the fantasy element this film expertly explores. 

The idea of a hitman has existed mostly through the media we consume in the different ways they appear, and Gary plays right into this fantasy by adapting to his clientele, so to speak. In some instances we get a reference to American Psycho, in others he plays right into what that person wants a hitman to look like, thus gaining their trust.  He builds this fantasy for them where the individuals requesting the services feels part of something exhilarating and it displays exactly why Gary has such a high success rate. Presenting this adaptation presents a dual purpose of a thought exercise for him, but also a wildly fun set of scenes where in his disguises he gets these individuals to follow through with their intent in wanting to have someone killed. 

This first act of the film has all the fun and games but when Madison enters the game, everything shifts where Gary gets intimately involved with this case and this dressing up becomes much more complicated. When he involves himself with Madison under the guise of being a hitman, it not only plays into her fantasy of sleeping with a rugged killer but further complicates his dynamic with the police department, all ballooning up into a bubble that will eventually burst. This pressure continues to build and conversations get more tense, all while Linklater continues to weave in the comedy of the situation. 

Therefore, Hit Man operates as a tense tale of deception, a steamy romantic comedy between Gary and Madison, but also contains some screwball elements that genuinely bring many laughs throughout because of the ridiculousness of the circumstance overall. A wonderful balance to juggle and Linklater does it so well, which comes as no surprise. However, the way he injects psychology and philosophy into the story through the lectures of Gary to his students adds another layer that makes the film all the more enriching. Gary explains exactly what these terms mean while enacting them beat for beat in the following scenes that were so gratifying to watch. Linklater never hesitates to inject these elements into his films in his production of some of my favorite films of all time like the Before trilogy and even his stoner comedies like Dazed and Confused.

As a two-hander vehicle, we get two impressive performances by Glen Powell and Adria Ajorna. Powell has maintained this wonderful rise in prominence and we can see why as he combines everything he does well through this performance of Gary Johnson. He has this natural charm to him that allows him to weave between these disguises he puts on but when he goes full-on hitman with Madison, the man just has the movie star look. He combines all of that with some incredible comedic acting that he has utilized in all of his major roles thus far and makes him such a fun actor to watch and perform. This serves as quite the star vehicle for him, but Adria Arjona should not be ignored as she took me aback with her layered performance as Madison. Both alluring as someone Gary would risk everything for but also deeply troubled mentally, the way Arjona portrays this woman as both a sympathetic figure but also someone also slightly unhinged makes her and Gary’s dynamic so fascinating to watch play out. Having not seen any of her previous work, I sincerely hope she continues to get roles like these, as she completely chews this up. Powell and Ajorna light up with some impeccable chemistry as they display the electric feelings held between the two characters, which make some of the crazy turn of events later on in the film to make a bit more sense. 

Both entertaining and fascinating in watching it all play out, Hit Man serves as yet another smash hit by Richard Linklater as the man continues to develop a diverse filmography that has success after success. Through this film he develops an intriguing circumstance for these characters and truly tests their resolve as they navigate a truly sticky and messy situation but the way Linklater and Powell through their screenplay bring it all together sums up what makes this film such an enjoyable film to take in.