Directed by Richard Linklater. Written by Glen Powell and Richard Linklater
With chemistry, easy charm, and a dazzling performance by Glen Powell, Hit Man is a bulletproof modern rom-com with screwball elements that’s destined to be a modern classic, as a psychology prof who moonlights as a police department A/V tech suddenly finds himself masquerading as a killer-for-hire.
Powell’s Gary Johnson, milquetoast man. He drives a Honda Civic, and post-divorce he doesn’t even have it in him to buy a kitchen table big enough for two, let alone a second chair. He picks up extra cash helping cops wiretap citizens looking to have someone killed, and when the PD’s usual fake hitman gets put on paid leave of absence because a video goes viral of him beating up some teens, Gary’s asked to step in.
Gary turns out to be a natural, donning disguises, accents, and mannerisms with ease. One pretend personality, Ron, really sparks something in him as well as the potential suspect, Allison, and they hit it off. Ron/Gary finds ways to see her again and the inevitable dilemma is obvious. It doesn’t matter, however, because something else is just as obvious.
Glen Powell is a star. He has to do a lot of different things as Gary and Ron and beyond the quirky comedy he performs as the various hitmen he pretends to be (they’re all stupidly funny) the real showstopper remains the central double act of Gary/Ron as it morphs and merges over the movie’s runtime. It dovetails with the parallel commentary Gary delivers in his psychology classes, where he holds forth on identity, desire, the struggle between egos and ids, and how the tug-of-war leaves one’s personality malleable under the impetus of external forces.
They serve almost as index cards for chapters in Gary’s journey, and they’re effective guard rails for Hit Man’s narrative structure. Within the gorgeous frame there’s Linklater’s trademark ability for witty dialogue that still feels down-to-earth, like some kind of elevated everyday conversation. He’s honed it over the years, starting with Slacker, which was essentially a feature-length walk-and-talk, and finding a zenith with the Before-trilogy where protagonists Jesse and Céline go back and forth on life’s small and big questions and build an enduring love affair with the answers.
But back to Powell. He takes to the script like a fish to water (he does co-write, so not surprising) and he seems to connect with Linklater better than most, seeing as the two reunite for the fourth time with Hit Man. His performance as Gary is something like a magic trick, equal parts wonder and silliness. You’re watching some guy make a coin disappear, and the enjoyment isn’t rooted in the fact this coin’s actually disappearing – it’s the skill and the showmanship required to make it seem as if, and you enjoy knowing you’re getting tricked. Powell’s performance here excites in the same way when you indulge the silliness. Powell’s in on the joke too, inviting you to have fun along with him, and the fact of his joy is contagious.
Powell makes those around him better too, he certainly has chemistry with his cast mates, in particular Adria Arjona who plays Allison. They’re hot on their own, hot together, and bring it out to each other. Mutual desire makes for one hell of a glow-up. I wouldn’t go as far as to label Hit Man erotic, but it does get steamy, and it’s not just because its leads are attractive. There’s seduction as well.
The only thing about Linklater’s movie I don’t buy is Powell initially acting like some bland professor, trying to disguise himself in an ill-fitting beige short-sleeved shirt that does nothing to hide the fact he’s built like a V12 engine, but apart from that, Hit Man is a movie that’s easy to laugh at, easy to love, and easy to laugh at and love again and again.
Mikkel Frederiksen 