Hit Man (2024)

May 16, 2024 (US) • Comedy, Romance, Crime • 116m

Overview

A mild-mannered professor moonlighting as a fake hit man in police stings ignites a chain reaction of trouble when he falls for a potential client.

Director

Richard Linklater, Glen Powell

Top Billed

Glen Powell

Keywords

hitman identity professor new orleans, louisiana romcom disguise screwball comedy undercover operation sting operation based on magazine, newspaper or article persona moonlighting

Where to watch

Free / Included

Netflix

Netflix Standard with Ads

Top Billed Cast

Crew

Reviews

Manuel São Bento

⭐ 8/10

September 5, 2023

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://fandomwire.com/hit-man-venice-film-festival-review-one-of-the-years-greatest-comedies/

"Hit Man leaves everyone floored with one of the best comedies of the year in a magical case of cinema in which direction, screenplay, and cast combine so well with each other that, in the end, it's impossible not to applaud.

Richard Linklater and Glen Powell deliver an insanely hilarious, genuinely entertaining script e… read the rest.

CinemaSerf

⭐ 7/10

May 29, 2024

At this rate, Glen Powell is going to be able to pay Tom Cruise back for his flying lessons pretty swiftly! Here, he's a rather geeky teacher (Gary) who teaches philosophy at a college whilst occasionally helping out the cops with some criminal profiling. When one of their investigators "Jasper" (Austin Amelio) goes a bit too far and gets suspended, Gary gets drafted in last minute and proves quite effective at getting folks who want to bump of t… read the rest.

r96sk

⭐ 9/10

June 8, 2024

<em>'Hit Man'</em> is fun!

Glen Powell and Adria Arjona team up to form a strong acting chemistry, I enjoyed seeing them both feature all the way through - two great performances. On the note of the cast, good to see Austin Amelio appear; I like that guy from his <em>'The Walking Dead'</em> days.

This movie is paced very well, the two hour run time did not feel of that length at all. It holds an interesting and fairly amusing plot, one brou… read the rest.

dumasori

⭐ 6/10

June 13, 2024

**Passable**

I watched this movie with low expectations, and I wasn't disappointed.

This movie falls into the mid-level cheesy category, offering a fair amount of entertainment without being extraordinary.

The actors are good at what they do, and the direction is also good. However, you can only do so much with a mediocre plot.

Overall, watchable one time.

Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots

⭐ 3/10

July 17, 2024

Richard Linklater‘s “Hit Man” is a film with a serious identity crisis. This genre blending disaster starts out as a wannabe goofy comedy, then veers off the rails into dark noir, finally settling on a bizarrely erotic femme-fatale rom-com. This movie is absolutely terrible, and its only saving grace is its lead’s bonafide Hollywood star power.

Straight-laced professor Gary Johnson (Glen Powell) has an odd hobby: he moonlights with the New Orleans Police Department as a fake hit man. With a penchant for inhabiting different personalities and donning outrageous costumes, Gary has a knack for telling potential clients (and marks) just the right things to get them arrested. Things get complicated when he falls for Madison (Adria Arjona), a potential criminal who meets with Gary to discuss hiring him to murder her awful husband. The two start a romantic relationship in a sea of deception and moral ambiguity, which changes Gary’s life forever.

It’s a great premise for a film, but Linklater just can’t make it work. While he admittedly isn’t one of my favorite directors, he completely misses the mark here. The narrative is disjointed and the tonal inconsistencies are too jarring, and no amount of talent can balance the uneven, overstuffed elements of comedy, romance, and thriller. The film struggles on just about every level, but thankfully Powell saves it from being completely unwatchable.

Powell is the highlight here. His charm and versatility shines as he navigates the complex layers of his character. This is an actor who is a true chameleon, and the film at least provides a vehicle where he can showcase his range. Powell is great; the movie is not.

Linklater introduces a lot of bland melodrama with the relationship between Gary and Madison and, despite a believable chemistry, it causes the film to stumble even more. With her character’s motivations being murky at best, it was impossible to feel fully invested in Madison’s relationship with Gary’s alter-ego, Ron.

For a film that had the potential to be so unique, it ends up feeling generic and unsatisfying. Despite having a small theatrical release, “Hit Man” is a disappointing effort that appropriately feels right at home as a streaming title on Netflix.

By: Louisa Moore / SCREEN ZEALOTS

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RalphRahal

⭐ 7/10

January 5, 2025

Hit Man by Richard Linklater is a solid watch, blending a deliberate pace with engaging character work. The first act feels like it lingers a little too long, but by the time the final act rolls around, you realize it was all intentional. That slower setup creates a nice payoff later, making the transitions between acts smooth and well-timed. It’s clear Linklater knew exactly how much breathing room to give the story, even if it left me wishing f… read the rest.