McDaniel
When a professor-turned-fake-hitman meets a damsel in distress, sparks fly and laughs ensue in Netflix’s latest dark comedy, “Hit Man,” featuring a standout performance from Glen Powell.
The film is very loosely based on the real life of Gary Johnson, a professor who posed as a hitman in the ’80s and ’90s and helped police make more than 60 arrests after clients reached out and hired him to kill someone.
Sound like entrapment? I’m not a lawyer, but I guess not.
Following the vision of Oscar-nominated director Richard Linklater (“Boyhood”), Glen Powell gives the most memorable and diverse performance of his career, playing the many variations of hitmen that Gary portrays throughout his career. Wigs, fake teeth, awful accents — it’s silly and it’s over-the-top, and Powell owns it.
Powell is on the verge of superstardom, praised for his chemistry with co-star Sydney Sweeney in last year’s “Anyone But You” and starring in this summer’s release of “Twisters.”
But “Hit Man” might be the best of them. Poor Mr. Powell is paired up with yet another beautiful and talented actress in Adria Arjona, who plays Maddy, an abused woman who seeks Gary’s particular set of skills to off her husband, only to have Gary talk her out of it. Arjona’s gaze pierces deep into the soul, so understandably there’s a spark between the two, and they fall into a relationship acquired through death and deception.
No, the real Gary didn’t get romantic with a client, but the film’s rom-com premise is amusing and his secret compelling. We know it can’t last and his true identity will come out eventually, and that’s when the real fun begins.
Not all the twists land; one of the biggest is a pretty obvious revelation after Maddy’s husband turns up dead, but there are some unexpected turns along the way. And you’ll laugh. Because as crazy as things get, the film never takes itself too seriously.
If you’re in the mood for a wildly entertaining ride that blends comedy, romance and crime, “Hit Man” is a movie to target.
4/5
Scott McDaniel is an assistant professor of journalism at Franklin College. He lives in Bargersville with his wife and three kids.
