Review: Hit Man – Hired Assassination Has Never Been So Hot

What is it about hired assassins that makes them so desirable to Hollywood? It must be the combination of stylish set-ups, charismatic leads and a way to live out revenge fantasies in the safety of the multiplex. Or maybe it’s because hitmen can get away with anything. Last year, David Fincher released The Killer, ensuring that even failing at the job can be taut, ironic and compelling. But can contract killing ever be lighthearted and sexy? Richard Linklater and Glen Powell think it can. And the extra spice in Linklater’s Hit Man is that it’s based on a true story.

Linklater has an eye for converting a news headline into a cool feature. Back in 2011, he made Bernie, a satirical look at small-time crookery that takes a dark turn. It’s a fascinating story and one of Jack Black’s best roles. Hit Man does the same thing for Powell. It is a non-stop fun time, and a perfect showcase for Powell’s range. The film is funny, not too glamorous and Powell’s pairing with the captivating Adria Arjona is really hot.

Powell plays Gary Johnson, a single College professor in Houston, Texas, who moonlights helping the police with wiretapping and other electronics.  Undercover officer Jasper (Austin Amelio) has an interesting speciality, honey-trapping people who try to hire a hitman (because…that’s illegal). For each case, Jasper meets with the hirer, posing as exactly the kind of person each mark thinks a contract killer should be. During one job, a mishap leads to Gary having to take Jasper’s place, and he’s a natural. Gary begins to really, really enjoy the light cosplay that posing as a hitman entails, developing more complex costumes, accents and backstories. Life suddenly has new meaning, until he meets Maddy (Arjona), a very attractive woman in a desperate situation…who has hired him as a hitman in the personal ads. The pair hit it off and Gary’s life becomes a high-stakes, high-octane adventure as he’s caught between his feelings and the moralities of his new job.

Linklater has always had a superb eye for capturing the laidback, earnest Texan sensibility, and Hit Man is another fitting example. It’s a great story that hurtles along, full of humour, memorable characters and exciting set-pieces. However, it is sometimes silly, bordering on puerile caricature, with its laddishness portrayal of Gary’s predicaments. Of course, both Arjona and Powell could have chemistry with a telegraph pole, and together, they are dynamite. But this makes them far too charismatic to pass as average Texans. Luckily, the Hit Man story feels more real than cinematic history – which usually valorises assassins – likely because of its grounding in the truth.

Hit Man is so much fun, even if it dares to suggest that in real life hired hitmen don’t exist! But Glen Powell does, and his talent is undeniable.

Hit Man hits Netflix on 7th June 2024.