Hit Man review: Richard Linklater comedy is a terrific ride

Glen Powell may not be as recognisable a name as Tom Cruise, but studios are betting on him being a modern successor. Having impressed in supporting roles in films like Hidden Figures, TV show Scream Queens, and Top Gun: Maverick, he became a bona fide leading man in January release Anyone But You co-starring Sydney Sweeney, and is soon to star in blockbuster sequel Twisters.

Before that, however, he writes, produces, and stars in comedy Hit Man, which was a big hit at last year’s Venice Film Festival. Described in the opening titles as “mostly based on a true story”, Powell plays Gary, a nice but dull philosophy professor who has a side hustle making electronics for undercover police stings.

He’s asked to pose as a hit man and record a target asking for someone to be murdered. The mild-mannered Gary is surprised to find he does the job well, slipping into various aliases to catch would-be murderers. However, when he falls for his latest target (Adria Arjona), things become messy.

The film is directed by Richard Linklater, the legendary filmmaker behind Boyhood and the Before Trilogy, who previously worked with Powell in 2018’s Everybody Wants Some!! Hit Man’s quirky tone is reminiscent of his 2011 film Bernie, a film also based on real life, starring Jack Black.

However, the movie does more than it’s initial premise of a boring guy playing an assassin suggests. Like many Linklater films, there is a theme of self-discovery, with the script asking whether our personalities are fixed, or if a new self is just a matter of taking the right steps.

In Gary’s case, the future can be whatever he wants it to be, although that’s tougher for other characters in the story. It’s an interesting discussion that enriches what could have been a predictable romcom, making each twist more thoughtful.

Powell is always more believable as Gary’s smooth alter ego than he is the buttoned up nerd, but in some ways that fits into what the film is trying to say. It would have been easy to have endless montages of him in prosthetics and bad accents, but for the most part he’s endlessly watchable, carrying the film’s quieter moments with the charisma of an old-fashioned movie star.

He has great chemistry with Arjona, who takes a flat love interest role and gives it some edge as a woman who is going through her own identity crisis. While the story itself ties up quite neatly, this duo are so likable the investment never wavers.

Hit Man balances different plot elements very well, making for a movie that hums along nicely, never being anything less than an entertaining night at the cinema. If Powell is hoping to become the new face of Hollywood, this is a fine audition.