'Hit Man' is a really fun movie, loosely based on a totally bonkers true story

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic

Mon, May 20, 2024 at 12:02 PM UTC

4 min read

Is there any sort of comfort food that is actually good for you? Sneaking in some nutrients with the sinfully delicious flavor?

I feel like those are the kinds of movies Richard Linklater often makes — absurdly fun, but with heart and substance, too. Of course, he makes the full-on masterpieces, as well — the “Before” trilogy, the brilliant “Boyhood” — but you can also watch “Dazed and Confused” or “School of Rock” or the “Dazed” sort-of sequel “Everybody Wants Some!!” 20 times for the fun of it, not always aware of the emotional stakes the films are providing.

“Hit Man,” Linklater’s latest film, falls into the fun-with-a-heart (and brain) category. It’s got a lot going for it. For one thing, there’s Linklater’s deft touch, particularly when juggling comedy and romance (with a little crime drama thrown in). For another, it’s (very) loosely adapted from an absolutely bonkers Texas Monthly story.

What is the plot of 'Hit Man'?

Perhaps most importantly, it stars Glen Powell (who co-wrote the screenplay with Linklater.) With his recent turns in “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Anyone But You,” he qualifies for flavor-of-the-month status. But he’s more than that. Powell is a bona fide movie star, one of the few lingering examples of a dying breed. He’s got a goofy intelligence, or an intelligent goofiness, that serves him well — and serves him perfectly in “Hit Man.”

He plays Gary Johnson, a mild-mannered New Orleans college professor who lives alone with his two cats. He’s content, if not especially happy. But he moonlights as an electronics whiz for the New Orleans Police Department. Mostly he helps surreptitiously record people who want someone killed — though as the magazine story and the film point out, there is no evidence that the job of literal hit man exists. (Who knew?)

One day the cop who pretends to be a hit man, a hot head named Jasper (Austin Amelio) is suspended for beating up teenagers. So they throw Gary into the job at the last minute — and he unexpectedly turns out to be great at it.

The gig gives Gary a chance to break out of his shell, to test out another identity. Or identities — he tries to give each potential client the hit man they think they want. Linklater spends some time with Gary trying out various personas, getting people to say just the right words the police need for an arrest. There’s also a little courtroom follow-though. A lot of the defendants are convicted, but there is always the specter of entrapment hanging over the prosecution’s head.

Gary doesn’t concern himself much with the results. He just enjoys what he’s doing.

Then he meets Madison (Adria Arjona), who is desperate to get away from her controlling, possibly dangerous husband. So she seeks a last resort. Gary shows up as “Ron,” a cool tough guy, but once he hears Madison’s story he advises her to take the money she’s offering him to kill her husband and start a new life.

Glen Powell is a bona fide movie star

Jasper, reduced to Gary’s old job of listening in, is incredulous. But Gary’s happy about the decision, and soon he is seeing Madison.

Or, more accurately, Ron is seeing Madison. Gary adopts the persona on their dates, which are at first trysts at her home, but later include visits out in the world. The problems are obvious, including ethical and practical land mines. All surface eventually.

Powell and Arjona have electric chemistry. It’s a joy to watch their back-and-forth — not quite the banter of classic screwball comedies, but close. And it’s not hard to picture a Cary Grant type in the Gary/Ron role.

You know, a movie star. Like Glen Powell.

'Boyhood' review: Richard Linklater's 5-star masterpiece