Hit Man (2023)- BFI London Film Festival 2023

Review

113min

Genre:       Comedy, Crime, Romance

Director:     Richard Linklater

Cast:         Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Austin Amelio…and more

Writers:     Richard Linklater, Glen Powell, Skip Hollandsworth

-Synopsis-

A mild-mannered straight-laced American professor who moonlights as a contractor for the cops unexpectedly ends up deep undercover as a fake hitman to catch those who order the killings, taking to it like a duck to water, only for everything to unravel when he falls in love on the job in this romantic crime/comedy adaptation of a bizarre true story from the director of ‘Dazed and Confused’ and ‘Boyhood’.

Given his track record over the last three decades or so, no one can question Richard Linklater’s dedication to cinematic portraits of everyday American life coloured with comedic charm and moxie but also pathos, having so memorably focused on US youth and their coming-of-age over different eras in both frank adult and family-friendly style, as well as examining parenthood and loss, and lingering European romances. Now the Texas auteur plunges back into crime of the true variety, teaming up with his star Glen Powell both in front of and behind the camera to loosely adapt a 2001 Skip Hollandsworth article about Texas local Gary Johnson, and deliver his funniest and most thoroughly enjoyable film in at least a decade.

Powell stars as Gary Johnson himself, a solitary nerdy college sociology lecturer and part-time contractor for the New Orleans Police Department who discovers a penchant and aptitude for undercover work when unexpectedly called upon to pose as a hitman and entrap normal people looking for disposals, as he wows cop colleagues ‘Phil’ (Sanjay Rao) and ‘Rita’ (Retta) and clashes with ‘Jasper’ (Austin Amelio) over his new personas for each sting. But when he meets prospective client and target in trouble ‘Madeline’ (Adria Arjona), things take a turn towards the romantic yet dangerous as he struggles to juggle his identities, using his newfound skills and all his intellectual cunning to stay on the right side of the legal line and come out on top.

Although it’s based on an extraordinary true story, it’s fair to say that ‘Hit Man’ is a loose adaptation of the Gary Johnson story which takes plenty of artistic license, with Linklater bookending the film by hilariously addressing that very fact, as he takes the core elements of the true tale and adds both actual murder and a strong romantic elements—which flirt with being mildly racy but never truly provocative—and transports the story up the coast from Houston to New Orleans.

Far from being anchored by the weight of a true story, ‘Hit Man’ masterfully uses it as a stranger-than-fiction jumping off point for a bona fide comedy which is always funny, occasionally quirky, and often riotous thanks to some expertly choreographed dialogue and execution which will inspire both belly laughs and some audience clapping, ultimately proving to be Richard Linklater’s most overtly comedic movie in a very long while and arguably one of his best genuine comedy films to date.

Yet buried under all the mirth there is something of a sociological commentary on identity and the roles we play, on crime & punishment, and on murder of the purposeful, premeditated, and dare we say it even justified variety. Plus there’s also a mild targeting of the current US culture wars, albeit from a very one-sided perspective, and comedy at the expense of a certain kind of “red state” American—but at its heart ‘Hit Man’ is here to entertain and delight rather than lecture and judge.

Despite a solid soundtrack of toe-tapping tunes, unlike in some of Linklater’s notable previous work the music is not one of the stars of the show here, but the story and the writing certainly are, skewering the audience with plenty of comedy featuring sharp punchy dialogue at its edge. The characters and the actors who bring them to life are of course the other main feature, with the beguiling Adria Arjona as Johnson’s multi-faceted love interest and Austin Amelio as his police friend-or-foe antagonist proving particular supporting standouts. But the true star here it the main star himself, as ‘Hit Man’ really does prove to be the Glen Powell show.

In his fourth and most comprehensive collaboration with fellow Texan Richard Linklater, modern matinee idol Powell reveals multiple strings to his bow both in front and behind the camera. Co-writing and producing the picture whilst delivering an uber charismatic tour de force lead performance, tailored perfectly to what is essentially a dual role ranging from an awkward and nerdy introvert to a suave and confident underworld figure, with both somehow coming off as endearing and two sides of the same coin, which is of course true to the film’s core narrative.

The Bottom Line…

A delightfully droll and often side-splitting romantic dramedy true crime story featuring the characters to make it jump off the screen and the masterfully sharp dialogue to match, with ‘Hit Man’ Richard Linklater adds copious charm and just enough edge to a stranger-than-fiction only in America tale, lighting it all up with a career-igniting central performance and general artistic contribution from Glen Powell to deliver one of his finest pure comedies and funniest films in recent memory.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

Spike Lee returns with a timely biographical period tale based on the life of Ron Stallworth—the first African-American officer in the Colorado Springs PD, who conducted an investigation into local Ku Klux Klan activity and managed to infiltrate David Duke’s KKK, becoming a fully-fledged member.

Directed by Spike Lee and starring John David Washington, Adam Driver and Topher Grace among others.

Comments

comments

Comments are closed.