No, this is not about the bald guy from the video games. As tempting as a review of those attempts at video game adaptations is, this is about the newest film with the same title.

Hit Man stars Glen Powell among others, and is currently available on Netflix in the UK. As a result of those things, I was left with no choice but to give into the charms of Glen’s smolder and put it on when I was scrolling for something to watch. It’s labeled as a thriller, but to be honest it’s just as much of a comedy or a drama. It’s even loosely based on a real person, so it’s even part biopic, albeit a very small part. 

The film sets out the premise pretty quick. Glen Powell plays Gary Johnson, a professor who works with law enforcement to trap people who are trying to hire hitmen. Events happen (spoilers) and he is thrust into the main role of being the fake hitman. He settles into the new job astoundingly quickly, and that’s when one of the strangest conversations ever put to film takes place. The implication is made that Glen Powell (pictured below) is an average forgettable looking human who’s face is easy to forget. This is delivered in a pretty throwaway conversation, but it shook me to my core. If Glen Powell is considered average and forgettable, there’s no hope for anyone. 

Now enough about that, or else I am in danger of making this a Glen Powell puff piece.

The use of little vignettes to show the different persona’s Gary Johnson uses to coax people into falling for him are delightful. It’s like going to a gelato shop and trying all the ice creams. You get a little of Glen Powell in a bunch of different roles, and each is funny without ever outstaying their welcome. 

The vignettes are interspersed with scenes from Gary teaching psychology at a school, where the ideas of self and identity are spoken about. Sometimes a film can be heavy handed with the introductions of themes like this, but I thought this was just subtle enough to feel like a natural part of the story.

It’s something that only a director with the experience and skill that Richard Linklater can deliver. His IMDB rarely has a genre repeated, and as such having his hand to guide the more “Intellectual” part of this dark comedy thriller really gave Hit Man a sheen of quality. It’s hard to get your head around the idea that the same director of Hit Man also has School of Rock and Boyhood on his CV.

Eventually the love interest is introduced in Adria Arjona’s Maria, a woman going through a divorce who gets desperate. Their chemistry immediately works, and the film adds Rom-Com to its plethora of genre’s. Sometimes there is no need for a love interest in a film, but this one felt like it arrived just as I started to wonder where the film was going. The film bluffs a few final act twists, never letting you settle on who the main antagonist is. I found myself coming up with theories for what might happen, then within minutes I’d be guessing something else. 

A film containing multiple montage sequences, thought provoking themes, and a romance introduced later into the piece, it’d be easy for this film to have moments where it drags. Its a testament to its pacing and what i imagine was some brutal decision making in the edit room that you never feel the 1 hour 50 minute run time at all. It’s a rare thing when a film ends with you wanting more, but that should always be the target.

Hit Man is a film that tries to contain all the tropes of the thriller genre, while incorporating flashes of others. Often that leads to a confused mess of a film, and you sitting there wondering exactly what you’re watching. Thanks to the chemistry of the performers on screen, and the expertise behind the camera, Hit Man manages to deliver a really enjoyable treat. It even manages to overcome the average looking forgettable leading man. 

Good: A thriller with fast pacing, great performances, and a plot that’ll keep you guessing what’s coming next, its a film that is hard not to enjoy.

Bad: Calling Glen Powell average and forgettable is borderline a hate crime, but one I’m willing to accept as an ironic meta jibe.

TL;DR: Hit Man is an entertaining ride in a vehicle for Glen Powell’s acting and Richard Linklater’s directing, both of which are excellent.