Hit Man (2024)
Director: Richard Linklater
Screenwriters: Richard Linklater, Glen Powell
Starring: Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Retta, Sanjay Rao, Austin Amelio
Glen Powell, who has steadily built a profile over the past decade, has more recently been recognised for his charisma and leading-man appeal. Roles in high-profile films such as Top Gun: Maverick and the romantic comedy Anyone But You helped introduce him to wider audiences; in Hit Man he takes another dramatic pivot that plays to his strengths. This film — a collaboration with veteran director Richard Linklater — blends thriller, dark comedy and romance into a smart, stylish package that both subverts and celebrates genre conventions.
Linklater, a director known for films like Boyhood, Dazed and Confused, and the Before trilogy, brings his relaxed but precise observational style to Hit Man. The screenplay, co-written by Linklater and Powell, leans into wry, philosophical undercurrents while delivering a compelling story about identity, deception and desire. The film balances humor and tension, often using classical crime and romance tropes to ask deeper questions about authenticity and moral responsibility.
Hit Man is inspired by a true story originally reported in a 2001 Texas Monthly article. The plot follows Gary Johnson, a mild-mannered philosophy professor in New Orleans who leads an unusual double life: he impersonates a hit man to help local police catch people seeking to hire killers. What begins as a cunning sting operation evolves into a complex study of character when Gary adopts multiple personas with theatrical flair, slipping easily into each role and taking evident pleasure in the performances.
The central conflict intensifies when Gary, operating under the alias “Ron,” encounters Madison, played by Adria Arjona. Madison initially solicits the services of a hit man to escape an abusive marriage, but Gary persuades her not to pursue murder. Their relationship becomes complicated and intimate, blurring lines between the staged identities Gary assumes and his real self. As their secret romance develops, the film examines how performance can transform into truth and how desire can justify dangerous compromises.
Stylistically assured, Hit Man embraces the conventions of the genres it references. Early montage sequences trace the depiction of hit men in popular culture, establishing a self-aware tone that runs through the film. Linklater and Powell use this meta-awareness to create tension between the criminal and romantic threads, juxtaposing the grim reality of crime with the intoxicating allure of a secret relationship. The screenplay never loses sight of the ethical questions at play, and it frequently invites the audience to consider whether emotional truth can ever fully absolve immoral acts.
Powell and Arjona deliver dynamic performances that hinge on contrast. Powell’s Gary transforms into Ron with theatrical swagger: Ron embodies the hyper-masculine, decisive man Gary is not, allowing Powell to explore both vulnerability and bravado. A voiceover line — “I was once told that I think too much to be a good lover. I liked Ron. He wasn’t a thinker. He was a doer.” — captures how Gary relishes the release of inhabiting someone who acts without overanalysis. Arjona’s Madison is initially frightened and guarded, then increasingly liberated as she escapes her marriage and explores risky impulses. Her evolving energy—part innocence, part appetite for danger—complements Powell’s performance and creates an electric, destabilising chemistry between them.
Supporting performances from Retta, Sanjay Rao and Austin Amelio add texture and humor, anchoring the film’s procedural aspects and its New Orleans setting. Through Gary’s classroom lectures, the film introduces ethical theories and philosophical questions that echo the choices the characters make. Those lectures function as structural and thematic touchstones: they frame the story and invite viewers to examine the moral ambiguity at its core. Even as the plot twists toward darker and more unpredictable territory, the characters’ decisions feel rooted in the psychological truths the screenplay explores.
Despite its philosophical underpinnings, Hit Man remains an entertaining, fast-paced film. Linklater’s direction keeps the tone nimble and engaging, while Powell’s charismatic, nuanced performance adds layers to what might otherwise be a straightforward comedy-thriller. The film thrives on its tonal balance — simultaneously funny, sexy, and unsettling — and it gives audiences both thrills and a thoughtful exploration of identity, performance and moral compromise.
If this film signals a larger moment for Glen Powell, Hit Man is an apt showcase: it highlights his charm while allowing him to complicate the audience’s sympathy for his character. Richardson Linklater’s steady hand and the film’s smart script result in a memorable, provocative piece of cinema that rewards viewers who enjoy genre blending, moral dilemmas, and strong lead chemistry.
Score: 21/24
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Recommended reading: Where to Start with Richard Linklater
Written by Rehana Nurmahi
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