From acclaimed filmmaker, Richard Linklater, comes a new romantic comedy action film titled Hit Man. Glen Powell stars in the lead role as Gary Johnson who moonlights as an undercover New Orleans police contractor when he’s not teaching as a professor of psychology and philosophy at the University of New Orleans. When he is forced into a situation to pose as a hitman as part of a sting operations, he quickly realizes how much of natural he is at the job. As he gets better and better in the role, he finds himself in a position where he attempts to save a woman in need, Madison Figueroa Masters (Adria Arjona).

The film technically has a 2023 release date as it first premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 5. It’s a difficult to case as to classify this as a 2023 or 2024 film. I am going to go with it being a 2024 film as it has been released to the general public in the given year. With that being said, this is one of the best films of the year. The film only had a 2 week limited theatrical release, which is unfortunate, because this would have done wonders for Netflix, yet I am sure it promoted more word-of-mouth for the film. I wish Netflix went back to when they release Glass Onion for one week only a month before the film hit Netflix. Now that I have seen the film twice, I would have ideally seen this in theaters and watched it again when it hit Netflix.

I initially had no plans of releasing a review on the film as I don’t away do streaming. Between the popularity and how much I enjoyed it, I felt like it was only fair to be a part of the discussion. Plus, I was trying to recover from COVID when I first watched the film. The issues I had the first time around were resolved on my second watch as I was more focused and found new things that I didn’t see the first time.

When the film opens up, you’re thrown into quite a lot. On first glance, it’s a lot to follow as you try to understand why Gary is moonlighting for this gig on the side. There is some character development revealed later on that I won’t give away either, but it makes sense as to why he is trying to better himself. He’s in a position where he feels like he isn’t reaching his fullest potential. That’s very respectable and easy to relate to. When I am not working my full-time job, I am doing this, writing reviews for all of you with the intent of making a better place through a community. To Gary, he is also trying to do something more meaningful that shows that he’s more than just a nobody.

After the opening scene where you’re understanding who this Gary guy is, we see him being forced into a situation where he has to be confident. Thanks to his knowledge in psychology and his willingness to be more confident, he’s able to deliver on the sting operation. This wouldn’t be possible without Glen Powell’s dynamic performance as he has to immediately switch into being a new person. Every time he has to switch character to remain undercover, the dialogue is smart & witty. Every time Powell switches character, he is in full control and delivers on the humor.

The talent doesn’t stop there. When Adria Arjona shows up as Madison, she has such strong chemistry with Powell. Both Gary and Madison shares somewhat of a similar background, which makes Gary attracted to her, especially when he can play as someone else named “Ron” who is easily attracted to Ron, without knowing who the real Ron is. Aside from the strong chemistry, it’s interesting to see Powell play as this “Ron,” knowing that this person that he is attracted to actually wants someone else killed. You’re always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

The type of style & tone can only be done by renowned filmmaker, Richard Linklater, a director who has had a rich filmography that has remained consistent in the upmost quality for many independent films. He’s made many amazing classics during his time that I feel like not putting him in my top 10 favorite directors list feels like a disservice. To be fair, it has been a decade since he delivered a film that I would deem perfect with Boyhood, yet he has still made some entertaining flicks then. Outside of that, he also made my all-time favorite trilogy with the Before trilogy. This film reminded me why I adore his filmography so much. The tone that he sets here allows for the characters to be complicated, silly, and dark all at the same time. He has a classical musical score playing in the background that even gives the film a film-noir tone.

I can’t go without mentioning the supporting talent. I am thrilled to see Austin Amelio here. It shows that he’s going to be just fine outside of what The Walking Dead Universe did to him. He’s a tremendous actor. I can only imagine this film being added to his talent reel that effectively showcases his talents. There’s also Retta, who deservingly is getting some standout supporting roles as of late. I love how Parks & Recreation has catapulted her into doing more things. Between those mentioned here and the lead roles, Linklater forms one of the best smaller ensembles in recent memory.

Now, there is one issue that I have seen others take note on with the ending, because it goes against the real person that this story is based on. At first, I thought it was rather strange, yet Richard Linklater makes this fictionalized enough to where I don’t mind it, and it fits the arc of Gary Johnson and his lover, Madison. Before the film rolls its credits, they even make note of it as just a fund little twist.

Overall, this has cult classic written all over it. I can see this still being shown to people 20 years from now. It’s a great example as to how to develop a modern film-noir with a likable cast of characters that are complicated, witty & memorable dialogue, and some meaningful messages about the system. I can easily see this film over and over again.

VERDICT: Perfect