Hit Man
review by Bobby Blakey
Director Richard Linklater has been bringing his unique voice to the masses for years with films like School of Rock, Dazed and Confused, A Scanner Darkly, Bernie, Boyhood and so many more. His latest film, Hit Man takes a unique look into the world of the hitman and stars Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Retta, Austin Amelio, and Molly Bernard. Could this film bring yet another great mark to his filmography or will it be a hit that misses its target?
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Hit Man follows Gary Johnson, the most sought-after professional killer in New Orleans. To his clients, he is like something out of a movie: the mysterious gun for hire. But if you pay him to rub out a cheating spouse or an abusive boss, you'd better watch your back he works for the cops. When he breaks protocol to help a desperate woman trying to flee an abusive husband, he finds himself becoming one of his false personas, falling for the woman and flirting with turning into a criminal himself.
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I have been hearing great things about this movie, but never watched a trailer and didn’t even know Linklater was involved until I watched it. That being said, I am glad I did because it is a great flick filled with quirky humor and one of those real-life unbelievable stories that delivers. For those that don’t know, this film is based on the real-life man Gary Johnson and his career, but it also takes some liberties to create an original story and some elements that didn’t happen. This isn’t doing any injustice to him, but just adding a fun twist to the already engaging story.
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The film walks a line of being a serious drama and a dark comedy perfectly. The story really works more than anything thanks to Powell’s performance. He brings so many layers with not only the different personas that he
embodies, but also the true to life person that Johnson is. There are several montages that showcase his chameleon style and hilarious takedown of the marks. Most of these quick and entertaining moments are based on actual busts Johnson had outside of ever having a relationship with one. This is where it takes its own journey and makes it even more of a fun twisted tale.
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Powell and Arjona have great chemistry, which is a must since the majority of this film rests on their relationship and the tale, they could bring down everything. I enjoyed that they took this interesting story that could have been likely just as engaging in its original fun and gave it something that helped to make it more relatable and a deeper direction for it to explore. Have no fear, the film never takes itself too seriously despite the danger involved in what Johnson did. They have crafted a film that is a fun watch with a compelling peek into a world most didn’t even know was going down in law enforcement.
I was pleasantly surprised by the even balance to this film and overall entertainment. It isn’t breaking anything new in cinema and has some of its own flaws, but in the end, it is a film worth checking out.
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Decide for yourself, slap on your best disguise and check out Hit Man streaming June 7th on Netflix.