Hit Man

UK Release Date. 7 June 2024
Certification. 15
Running Time. 1 hour 55 mins
Director. Richard Linklater
Cast. Austin Amelio, Adria Arjona, Glen Powell.
Rating. 56%

Review.

Loosely based on a 2001 article of the same name published in Texas Monthly magazine, Hit Man tells the somewhat true story of Gary Johnson (Glen Powell). Gary would initially appear to lead a pretty mundane life as a Psychology and Philosophy professor at the University of New Orleans, but Gary has a second job posing as a fake hitman for the New Orleans Police Department in sting operations.

Richard Linklater, a director with the most eclectic filmography [Dazed and Confused to Before Sunrise and School Of Rock to Before Sunset] sets out to produce a smart, provocative romantic comedy. The director's measured blend of smart humour and sly commentary on the lexicon of hitman films  mischievously subverts expectations and proposes the notion of the lone assassin as a cultural myth.

There is a delightful lead performance from Glen Powell. But whilst Powell seamlessly shifts between Gary's unassuming earnestness and his alter-ego Ron's confidence, Adria Arjona (as Madison Figueroa Masters) never quite manages to pull off a believable metamorphosis from vulnerable housewife to seductive femme fatale. Although to be fair, she manages the latter part of the equation with ease.

The film exudes confidence, perhaps false confidence? For the reality is an erratic offering, especially in terms of tone, and the preposterous storyline repeatedly veers toward less than satisfactory Coen brothers outputs, such as The Hudsucker Proxy, Intolerable Cruelty or Hail, Caesar!