CinemaBlind’s Review – 100%
If you weren’t on board the Glen Powell train after Top Gun: Maverick and Anyone But You, his latest film Hit Man is sure to get you on board. Loosely based on the real-life of Gary Johnson, the Netflix film follows the story of a part-time professor and a part-time pretend hit man for the police, but his life completely changes when a beautiful woman comes to him to have her husband killed.
Don’t make assumptions about the film’s genre based on its name because Hit Man isn’t an action or a crime film, but it is much more of a romantic comedy than a crime thriller. Directed by Richard Linklater, who also co-wrote the screenplay with star Powell, Hit Man has a way of making its deeply problematic romantic relationship seem charming and sexy, and while the brilliant performances by Powell and Adria Arjona help the real secret to that is in its writing and the general atmosphere of the film.
Regarding chemistry, it seems that Powell has it with everyone in Hollywood because he had it with Miles Teller in Top Gun: Maverick, he had it with Sydney Sweeney in Anyone But You, and now with Arjona he knocks it out of the park again. Both of the stars give unbelievable performances and do it in a way that makes the audience want them to get away with murder. Arjona does a wonderful job at playing both a woman in an abusive relationship and a kind of a femme fatale (not really) who is hiding something dark underneath but this is the Powell show as he gets to show us his acting chops in various looks with different accents.
A film is only as good as its ending, so let’s talk about if Hit Man was successful in sticking its landing. In short perfectly, the Linklater film gives much of its runtime to Gary aka Ron Johnson playing different hit men to catch people and the rest to Ron and Madison’s R-rated relationship but as it reaches its climax there is a lot of chaos and while we see a way to a happy ending, the film surprises us at every turn till its last moments.
If you just hear about the concept of Hit Man, it could seem like a dark comedy with some really uncomfortable moments but after watching it I can honestly say that it is one of the most comforting romcoms I have seen in recent times. For a name that means assassin, there’s not a lot of murder or dead bodies in the film. While I can’t add anything that hasn’t already been said about the film as it has already proven to be a hit with the critics and the audience I can certainly say that this might end up becoming the best film of 2024.
So, in conclusion, Hit Man could be the best film I have seen since Dune: Part Two, and while that was made on a massive budget of $190 million this film was made on a measly budget of $8.8 million. So, If you are in the mood for a rom-com or a comedy definitely tune in to watch Hit Man on Netflix.
