Hit Man
University of New Orleans psych professor Gary Johnson (Glen Powell, "Top Gun: Maverick," "Anyone But You") has an unusual bunch of alter egos as he takes on different personae as fake contract killers for the New Orleans PD. But when one of them, Ron, falls for Madison (Adria Arjona, "Morbius"), a woman hoping to get rid of her husband, life becomes comically complicated for the faux “Hit Man.”
Laura's Review: B
Cowriter (with star Powell)/director Richard Linklater ("Before Midnight," "Boyhood") has had a wildly varied filmography over the past thirty-five years, but “Hit Man” is his first romantic comedy, at least the most overt fit within the genre. Linklater and his star cleverly link Gary’s two occupations with a great assist theory from his ex-wife Alicia (Molly Bernard, TV’s ‘Younger’) while also constructing one of the most intricate third act obstacles to its couple getting together in recent memory.
After Gary’s students poke fun at the dweeby Honda Civic driving prof who espouses Nietzsche’s theory about taking life-threatening risks, we see him content at home alone with his two cats. His ex, who he considers his best friend, thinks he lacks passion, but believes one can change one’s personality by behaving like the person one wants to be. And Gary is handed the opportunity to test that theory when his moonlighting as a techie for undercover police stings lands him in the undercover role of a hit man when the overly aggressive police officer who usually does the job, Jasper (Austin Amelio, "Everybody Wants Some!"), is suspended for 120 days. His backup team, Claudette (Retta, TV's 'Parks and Recreation') and Phil (Sanjay Rao), are amazed by his natural abilities and he nabs his first suspect.
Gary, who tells us the concept of hit men is a fantasy fueled by movies (Linklater inserts a montage of various movie clips, including the likes of “Dial M for Murder” and “Branded to Kill”), is ignited by his success and he begins to carefully tailor his contract killers to his clients with a series of disguises that find him posing as everything from a Southern tough guy to a Russian in black leather to a bizarre redhead with an outré accent and black rubber gloves. Ron, though, is his sexiest creation, inspiring Claudette to declare she’d get ‘blackout drunk’ with him and ‘shred her IUD’ for him and it is Ron who meets the obviously terrified and abused Maddy. Instead of pulling out the information needed to arrest her, Gary instead suggests she take the envelope of money she’s brought and create a new life for herself. The conversation turns flirtatious, their chemistry undeniable. And Jasper, seething at his replacement’s success, begins to call him out every chance he gets.
The film’s midsection is all sexy sizzle after Gary responds to Maddy’s text inviting him to a charity dog event. He arrives as Ron and it is Ron who ends up in Maddy’s bed where the two make a different kind of contract, designed to keep their romance under covers. But when Maddy breaks it, one complication leads to another and Gary finds himself on both sides of the law.
It’s a lot of fun watching Powell morph from a meek academic content with his own company to a range of confident yet very different faux killers and he and the lovable, doe-eyed Arjona connect on multiple levels. Bernard’s ex was a clever addition, so it is perplexing she doesn’t return after one scene, but Retta and Rao are amiable buddy support for Powell. Amelio is perfect as the fly in the ointment but Evan Holzman could be more threatening as Maddy’s husband Ray.
The film is given added personality from its New Orleans setting, including its mixture of classic and contemporary jazz selections. Amazingly, there was a real Gary Johnson this comedy is based on as well as a Maddy character, but without spoiling the ending, the closing credit notes something fictitious Linklater and Powell have saddled him with and despite Ron’s early reassurances to Maddy defending his line of work, it may leave a bad aftertaste for some, like myself, in what is otherwise a delightful romp. “Hit Man” takes its early psychology thesis just a little too far.
Netflix releases "Hit Man" in select theaters on 5/24/24. It begins streaming on 6/7/24.