Hit Man - A Movie Review

Original written-date: 6/14/24

When we look back on 2024 at next year's Oscars, we'll look back on the blockbuster achievements of Dune Part Two and Challengers and many more still to come in the back half of the year.  There's a certain energy/aura of going to a movie theatre for a movie like Dune that adds to the theatrical experience in a way direct-to-streaming movies just can't match.  More so than just the viewing experience -- direct-to-streaming films have been dumpster fires, especially from Netflix. Atlas and Rebel Moon being two of the latest examples of the garbage getting greenlit around the industry. However, every so often, we are blessed with an absolute joyride of a film AND get access to it just by opening up an app.  And while I don't have a bad word to say about Lisan Al-Gaib and the Dune crew - the most fun movie of the year was delivered by Richard Linklater and Glen Powell straight to Netflix.

Plot

Hitman -- directed by Richard Linklater and starring Glen Powell (collaborators on Everybody Wants Some and Anybody but You) had a brief week-long theatrical run at select major city locations. I saw a trailer for this movie months ago and have been excited ever since.  10/10 premise for me -- a college professor moonlighting as a tech guy for an undercover police operation who's called into action to portray a fake hitman for a sting operation.  Circumstance leads to our protagonist -- Gary Johnson -- to continue his role as the new "Hitman" and he develops a real talent for it -- molding specific disguises and personalities tailored to each target.  One day at a meet with a potential target, a beautiful woman named Madison (Adria Arjona) who wants to hire him, leads to a romance forming between Madison and Gary -- well, actually Ron, the Hitman character Gary has created for Madison. 

Before getting into specifics and spoilers as to what actually goes down in this film, if you see it switch to BLUE - that’s talking about a direct scene spoiler and/or quote from the film -- here's just a few general thoughts. 

• This movie has immaculate vibes -- something I've praised Everybody Wants Some for -- but is a much different film. 

• It's a perfect combination of funny, sexy, exciting, and stylish. 

• What jumps off the screen most to me is the chemistry between Powell and Arjona. This is a common theme I've found in Powell movies is he has excellent chemistry with his co-stars (Sydney Sweeney, Zoey Deutsch, excited to see him and Daisy Edgar Jones in Twisters).  I just believe in the relationship at the heart of the story so much that it helps me look past other things. 

• I also just was a huge fan of the cast in this movie -- which if you go solely based on googling "Hitman Cast" you wouldn't believe due to the lack of big names.

Let's get into a breakdown:

THE CAST

Glen Powell  - Gary Johnson

Adria Arjona  - Madison

Austin Amelio  - Jasper

Retta - Claude

Sanjay Rao -  Phil

Evan Holtzman - Ray

Glen is sensational, and I'll glaze him more later, so we'll start with Adria Arjona.

First off: WOW, nice.  I liked her in Andor but wasn't real familiar with her game. She played the scared, vulnerable wife -- the sexy, sweet-talking girlfriend -- the fierce, reckless Bonnie to "Ron's" Clyde -- and she showed lots of range and had some very funny deliveries. My personal fave is how she plays the scene of Ron/Gary interrogating her about Ray's death, responding to Gary freaking out when he finds out what happened, and of course the, "Who the fuck is Gary?" line after. So funny and chaotic.

The construction of the Police Sting Unit was great to me. Claude and Phil (Retta and Sanjay Rao) were a funny tandem. Them talking about Ron while Gary overhears on the phone was hilarious. Jasper was the show-stealer for me. Played by Austin Amelio, he played the unhinged, dirty cop very well and consistently added tension throughout the movie. Was just relentless and the biggest thorn in everyone's side. Intro-ing him as the cop who beat up a teenager and is suspended tells you everything you need to know about him.

Also liked the guy that played Maddy's ex-husband Ray. He did a good job of playing the asshole, but being more than just a tough guy and yelling. The scene of him and Glen in the diner having the back-to-back meeting was fantastic. He was such a dick.

I've been a big fan of Glen Powell for a while now (Set-it-Up, EWS, Top Gun Maverick, Anyone but You -- truly a Glennaissance era) and this is easily my favorite of his performances. This is the first time he's truly in the driver's seat instead of playing a complimentary role.  Gary -- the root of his character -- is a lovable, pretty dorky guy, and Glen plays him hilariously. It's funny to see such a good looking guy play such an odd-ball nerd.

As the movie goes we get to see the range of Powell with the great little bits of him in different personas meeting with targets. Accents disguises the whole sha-bang. My favorite was the Patrick Bateman persona and his Russian Gangster persona. "Speed boat"

He eventually settles into the "Ron" persona for his meet with Madison and finds himself staying in that character as they get acquainted. This is the Powell wheelhouse just playing the cool guy. I just think the performance as a whole is fantastic. He won't be winning an Oscar for it or anything, but what he does to carry so much of this movie is remarkable. His usage rate is sky-high in this film.

THE PLOT - SPOILERS BEWARE

We're introduced to Gary and his Honda Civic through one of his lectures as a Psychology/Philosophy professor at the University of New Orleans.  Mild-mannered, shitty dresser, disheveled guy with technical skills.  His side gig working undercover with the NOPD is where the tech side of him shines, assisting Sting operations in murder-for-hire cases. A suspension to Jasper -- the usual fake hitman -- thrusts Gary into the fire taking over the role.

When he goes in to meet with the target, Gary goes from Nervous Nellie to Nic Cage and flawlessly plays the role of contract killer -- leading to a successful sting and arrest.  Now the hook was in him, and the professor was ready to explore his newfound skills while Jasper serves his suspension.  The NOPD is all for this plan, as Gary is not only great at the job, but he's less of a liability than the teen-punching Jasper.

Gary begins to research his targets and tailor personas toward what he thinks these people would want to see from their hitman.  Whether that meant drawing on a beard, yellowing his teeth, throwing on a wig and a Russian accent: Gary went the extra mile to secure these solicitations. But one day, as he researches a good looking target named Maddy, he develops a "cool guy" persona named Ron, who's a hit with not just Maddy but the entire police unit.  Maddy and Ron hit it off during their meeting like it's a first date -- She even slips at one point and asks Ron what he does for a living before realizing her blunder.  When she reveals the reason she's there -- she wants out of an abusive marriage with her husband Ray -- Gary hesitates. He abandons the mission and instead offers her advice to get her own place away from Ray, as well as offering his help anytime she needs. 

Maddy listens and gets herself out of that marriage and into her own place. She invites Ron to her charity event to thank him, and the two continue getting closer.  They begin a relationship shortly after as mild-mannered Gary stays fully committed to Macho Man Ron throughout.  Maddy also feels comfortable enough showing her "Hitman" Boyfriend her fancy new gun (red flag Gary!).  Keeping themselves hidden away in Maddy's place, they eventually decide to go out dancing one night. As they leave the club, who else but Maddy's ex-husband Ray shows up -- REAL unhappy at the sight of Ron. Ray harasses the couple as they try to walk away - calling Maddy a bitch and a liar repeatedly. Ron doesn't like that and can't take it much longer, snapping and pulling a gun on Ray after one too many jabs.  Maddy ate that shit up - "he'll do it, he's a professional"

They escape into the night and find themselves at an ice cream joint later that night.  Further proof they should've kept things at Madison's, they see Gary's best work pal Jasper there!  Jasper has been eager for a reason to throw Gary under the bus at work -- like bad-mouthing him for letting Maddy go in the first place.  He stops to say hi to the happy couple, introducing himself to Maddy, but doesn't say Gary's real name.  He's loading up his ammo pack for the next meeting at work.

The next day at work Gary is hastily called to a diner with no prior research to meet with a target.  When he goes in to meet -- it's Maddy's ex Ray once again. Ray doesn't see him though -- so Gary sneaks into the booth back-to-back with Ray to avoid seeing each other.  Ray goes on to tell Gary his plethora of "reasons" (psycho justifications) he needs Maddy (AND her new boyfriend that he "can't stand the sight of").  Bubbling over into a rage, Gary stands up revealing himself as the hitman Ray called.  Shocked and scared, he scampers for the exit mumbling, "I'll do this myself."

Gary tries his best to smooth it over with the rest of his unit -- but Jasper has more than his fair share of doubts why it went sideways.  Gary rushes to Maddy's to warn her about Ray's threat.  She brushes this off of course -- what does she have to be afraid of with her hitman boyfriend around?

Gary's called in to work later on, and it's revealed to him that Ray was found dead. In shock, he tries to glean more details on what they know without looking suspicious himself.  The other shoe drops when he hears the gunshot wound was from a .38 -- matching Maddy's.  Jasper continues pounding the drum that Gary shouldn't have let Maddy walk in the first place, but Gary quickly and effectively shuts down the notion that Madison would be capable of doing this herself. The group agrees and chalks it up to a drug deal gone wrong (for now).

Gary meets with Madison to find out what happened.  After both play coy for a while, things quickly escalate until they're both accusing each other of the murder. They come together for a moment before Maddy is unable to hold it longer -- revealing that she is the one that killed Ray. As good of an actor as Gary's been to this point,  it was all out the window now. He panics, exposing himself as not being a hitman and that his real name isn't Ron. Maddy, shocked obviously, begins doubting everything while Gary tries to explain himself and why he was too scared that she only liked Ron, not Gary. Eventually Madison kicks him out and he finds his way back to the office.

Gary walks back into a shitstorm of epic proportions, as his unit has shifted the investigation's focus solely to Madison.  They found out Ray's life insurance was increased by a million dollars that she is full proprietor of.  They devise a plan to have Gary go back undercover as Ron -- the only persona she would know him by, right? -- and try to solicit a confession out of her.  Jasper is happy as a clam with this plan, doubling down by riding with Gary to her house (to make sure he can't call Maddy) and making sure he has a mic in Gary's ear to hear every word. They weren't able to get camera footage on the meet however, given the spontaneity of the scheme, so they'd have to rely on a clear audio confession.

Gary slowly makes his way to Maddy's door, trying to think of some way to keep her from incriminating herself. The idea he lands on is a longshot -- but makes for the best scene of the movie.  He pulls out his phone and writes her a note in all caps with acting cues, telling her "we're on the same team." The two leads further flex their chemistry as they tightrope this fake interrogation, Gary delicately setting her up for denials and secretly revealing the new evidence the police has.  By the end of the dance Maddy is aggressively denying her involvement, kicking Ron out of the house.  Gary returns to the van to see if their performance worked -- the unit is convinced by Maddy that she can't be the killer. Even Jasper -- who very clearly has sniffed out the scheme -- seems to agree with the unit, so they head back to the office.

Gary returns to Maddy's after work, and as he walks in the front door he's welcome by who else -- Jasper.  He was making himself at home with a beer while Maddy looked on uncomfortably, eventually going to get him another beer. Jasper then begins his soliloquy about how "he was okay with whichever way it went today." On one hand, he wanted Maddy and Gary exposed so he could get his coveted position back in the unit.  However, the other option -- if Gary and Maddy were able to pull off the impossible -- was that he'd be perfectly content with a fuck-load of cash.  Gary wants to shut this down -- the standard "You don't have shit on us" argument -- but Maddy implores him that they should hear him out.  Jasper begins laying out his terms as the couple takes a seat.

After a couple minutes you can see things starting to go wrong. Jasper peels off his jacket because he's too hot, starts coughing, cowering over and holding his stomach before falling to the ground.  Silence as Gary and Maddy look on before she lets out a, "I'm fucked." She put drugs into his drink and clearly put a surplus in to be safe.  She begins to panic -- knowing she just killed a cop and her life very well could be over. Still nothing from Gary. That is, until he quietly stands up and heads for the kitchen, more specifically under the sink. "Commitment," he tells her, grabbing a plastic bag.  He walks over to Jasper's unconscious body and ties it around his head. Maddy -- still very concerned -- asks how they will be able to hide what they've done. Gary assures her that, although he is technically a cop, Jasper is not a good man and is as dirty as they come. No one will miss him, everything will be okay. The two come together once again, but it's the first time as Madison and Gary.

The movie ends a little corny for my taste, sitting around the dinner table years later with their kids. Daughter asking, "how'd you and daddy meet?" But you know what, it was a fine, I-Thought-happy-ending to an extremely fun movie.  Who cares!

(many people talk about this ending as being extremely dark, I didn't consume it that way)

THE SCORE

I really enjoyed this movie and have already rewatched it 4 times since it came out.  Glen Powell is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors and I hope he continues pumping out bangers with Twisters soon.  Arjona was great and I'll seek out her movies from now on. Get Austin Amelio some more opportunities too - that guy has great range and was such a scene-stealer to me.  Just a really fun joyride of a movie and one I think everyone should see.

Score

92/100