The Top Gun: Maverick star teams with Richard Linklater for Hit Man, a fun rom com that flexes its lead’s versatility.
What does it take to be a movie star nowadays? The definition of a movie star has certainly changed in the last 15 years. Actors used to have to be charming in a movie, do interviews promoting their film, go on talk shows to tell funny stories, and walk a red carpet for people to see them as superstars. Now actors have to eat hot wings, sing karaoke in cars, play Password in front of a studio audience and be seen dancing on TikTok just to get people even moderately interested in their new movie. But is that even enough? Or too much? Not to go full “old man yells at cloud” here, but what happened to the days of an actor making a name for himself by just showing off how good they can act?
Take Glen Powell, for example. After stealing scenes in Top Gun: Maverick, the 35-year-old has set 2024 to be his big solo year by checking off as many boxes a movie star can. He charmed in Anyone But You earlier this year and will try to give blockbuster fans (and IP-obsessed studio execs) a good time with Twisters. But between those two titles is one that actually shows how capable Powell is at being a leading man, or any kind of character in any kind of movie.
Technically, Powell only plays one man in Hit Man: meek college professor Gary Johnson, a man so unremarkable to the human eye that his Honda Civic is practically an invisible car. That actually makes him the perfect blank slate for the New Orleans Police Department, who use Gary to pose as a hitman for unsuspecting clients and catch them on tape trying to solicit murder. Gary has a ball coming up with eccentric alter egos, especially the scruff but cool Ron who is nearly hired by Maddy (Adria Arjona) to kill her abusive husband. Gary shows sympathy for Maddy and loves the connection they have, or at least the one she has with Ron. The two have a fling, but things get complicated when Jasper (Austin Amelio), the guy Gary replaced on the force, keeps trying to sabotage his secret identity and Maddy starts coming off a little more unstable.
Tale as old as time.
You’d be forgiven in thinking that, despite the quirky touches of following a fake assassin and the wacky characters he runs into along the way, Hit Man seems familiar. It’s actually a romantic comedy at its core, following the story beats of a lonely nobody pretending to be something they’re not to feel better about themselves and get a little love along the way. It’s an outline that’s kept sitcoms a float for decades, so what’s it doing in the hands of indie legend Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, School of Rock, Boyhood) and Powell (who also co-wrote the script)?
For one, they need a structure to tell a crazy true story. It’s not the first time Linklater has done so, once again adapting a “true story” by Texas Monthly contributor Skip Hollandsworth after collaborating on 2011’s Bernie. Whereas Gary Johnson may have been someone with a real knack for fake names, Linklater and Powell’s script fills in the surrounding blanks with a dependable story and quirky characters to make it pop. Linklater still isn’t as clever of a writer he thinks he is, but he’s smarter than most writers handling this material.
Linklater shows off by writing long-winded conversations with jokes peppered in-between, not having the lingering romance of his Before trilogy but still fun to watch. The plot twists are slightly predictable and Linklater isn’t the flashiest director, but he knows when to setup and nail the punchlines to keep the movie light and breezy through its 115-minute runtime.
The real secret weapon to Hit Man, as with other Linklater movies, is character. Linklater’s greatest strength is writing people that have the journeys of movie characters, but with just enough touches of layered feelings and human patience to make them deeper and easy to gravitate to. Hit Man is no exception, with the duality of Gary and Ron played out so well that they do seem like two entirely different people. There’s also the would-be employers Gary keeps catching in the act, all with varied reasons as to why they want to take somebody out that our would-be killer matches to make him feel believable to them. Even Maddy, who starts like a damsel in distress, becomes more unbalanced in little moments as the movie keeps going. It’s those light dabs of character development that make Linklater the perfect person to tell this quirky and uniquely American story.
A star is born.
Then you have its star. Glen Powell has played a charming schemer before. But what Powell is showing off in Hit Man is some impressive versatility. He can go from the chipper voice, shucks-golly stance of Gary into the steely-eyed intimidation of Ron in one second. That’s usually the skill of a serial killer in a De Palma movie, or Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. The fact that Powell keeps Gary’s borderline sociopathy likable is an amazing feat. Whatever new persona Linklater gives him, Powell rises to the occasion with energy and commitment. One minute he looks like a participant in the January 6 raid, the next he’s Guy Pearce’s evil twin. Powell’s performance is a signal to casting agents saying he’s up for anything and it’s refreshing to watch on screen.
Hit Man borders on being a one-man show, but there are some spirited supporting players. Adria Ajorna is a bubbly delight as the apple of Gary/Ron’s eye while jumping between helpless flower to unstable ex throughout the movie. She actually levels up to Powell’s charisma by the movie’s finale as if she was playing the long game of deception the whole time. Another highlight is Austin Amelio with his scraggly facial hair and creepy physique constantly poking at Gary’s lie. He’s a perfect embodiment of southern sleaze, like the most annoying screw-up in a dirty biker gang. It’s also nice to see Parks and Recreation alumnus Retta pop by as a local cop for occasional one-liners.
The bottom line.
It wouldn’t be right to say that Hollywood doesn’t make movies like Hit Man anymore. They do, just mostly with a lack of creativity and investment. You need a spark behind and in front of the camera to make a routine premise memorable. The duo of Linklater and Powell is an inspired pairing, with the former’s love of scruffy American weirdos mixing with the latter’s desire to prove himself as a star. Hit Man may only be remembered as that movie you saw Powell in before he became one of the biggest stars on the planet. Or it’ll just be the latest go-to Netflix movie you can throw on if you and partner can’t stop scrolling through recommendations on the couch. It’s no revelation, but Hit Man leaves a mark. And as for Powell? It’s one helluva good first impression as a leading man
Hit Man is now streaming on Netflix. You can watch the trailer here.
Images courtesy of Netflix. You can read more reviews from Jon Winkler here.
REVIEW RATING
-
Hit Man - 7/10
7/10
