Hit Man, starring Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Rhetta, and Austin Amelio, wowed fans when it was released on Netflix. Based on a true story, the movie was full of adventure, romance, and humor — making it almost a perfect flick. And, on Valentine’s Day, you want to find a movie that meets the needs of everyone involved and this is exactly what you may be looking for.
Hit Man tells the story of Gary Johnson, a university professor who moonlights with the New Orleans Police Department as a would-be hitman. He takes on an undercover job and poses as an assassin-for-hire, a decision that leads to unexpected consequences.
Directed by Richard Linklater, Hit Man is a movie that capitalizes on Powell’s charisma while incorporating a successful chemistry between the star and his love interest in the movie, Arjona. Hit Man isn’t your average romantic comedy, but that’s what makes it a great Valentine’s Day movie choice.

Hit Man

3.5
/5

Release Date

May 24, 2024

Runtime

116 minutes

Producers

Jason Bateman, John Sloss, Julie Goldstein, Steve Barnett, Stuart Ford, Glen Powell, Michael Costigan, Alan Powell, Shivani Rawat, Mike Blizzard, Miguel Palos, Megan Creydt, Scott Brown

‘Hit Man’ Incorporates Details From the Life of an Actual Fake Hitman

Glen Powell’s portrayal of murder-for-hire specialist Gary Johnson draws on the events of a real fake hitman of the same name. While the real Johnson lived in Houston, Texas, and Hit Man is set in New Orleans, Louisiana, there’s an added layer of fun attached to the movie. The real Johnson passed away in 2022, but in 2001, journalist Skip Hollandsworth told his story in Texas Monthly. In Johnson’s words:

“My people have spent their lives living within the law. A lot of them have never even gotten a traffic ticket… Yet they have developed such a frustration with their place in the world that they think they have no other option but to eliminate whomever is causing their frustration. They are all looking for the quick fix, which has become the American way.”

Related

The 10 Best Movies of Glen Powell’s Career So Far

The “Glenaissance” is currently upon us, so what better way to embrace it than to check out Glen Powell’s best movie performances of all time.

Glen Powell Went All-in on the Disguises and Personas He Needed To Play a Would-Be Hitman

Glen Powell decided that he was going to enjoy playing Gary Johnson. According to director Richard Linklater,

“It was Glen who really ran with those false identities that Gary creates for each of his cases… The real Gary did slight disguises, but not to the extent that we see in the film. I was like, ‘Should we really do a Russian accent?’ But Glen just pushed all of that to the max, and I love how it came out.”

And, while Hit Man was based on a real person and real events, the ability to include additional elements made the movie rife with opportunities. The movie intentionally incorporates “screwball comedy” and “film noir” to create a fun ride.
Critics agreed. Reviewer Ty Burr from The Washington Post called Hit Man a “blast of pure pleasure,” while The New York Times’ Alissa Wilkinson praised the movie as a “romantic, sexy, hilarious, satisfying” watch.

Related

Every Richard Linklater Comedy Movie, Ranked

Richard Linklater dedicated a good portion of his career to comedy movies, delivering masterpieces such as School of Rock and Dazed and Confused.

Glen Powell’s Gary Johnson Gets the Happy Ending His Real-Life Counterpart Didn’t

Glen Powell and director Richard Linklater co-wrote Hit Man and, according to the actor, “Ultimately, it’s a relationship movie.” Linklater put it this way, “I think that’s an attribute of the movie — it’s about a lot of things… It’s about identity and self and passion. But on a plot level, it’s just a guy who gets in a little too deep. His passions lead him in a direction where he’s deceiving someone he’s in love with, and being someone else. They have to deal with those repercussions.”
The real Gary Johnson was married several times and, while Hit Man is darker when it comes to Johnson’s undercover work, it skips over his romantic difficulties. What audiences get instead is chemistry between Powell and Arjona that, in the words of reviewer Brian Tallerico,

“feels like a bolt of lightning… Their instant chemistry becomes the foundation for the back half of the movie as what was kind of a goofy comedy shifts more into thriller and even noir, genres that allow for a bit of moral ambiguity.”

In the movie, the Gary Johnson character gets the girl and settles down with her. He and Madison reinvent themselves as an ideal family, ultimately making it clear that it’s never too late to find a happy ending.