As a film critic, I tend to see all kinds of films: good movies, bad movies, movies that are decently made, but I’m probably never going to see again, so-bad-they’re-good movies, etc. However, there is one type of film that particularly irks me: those with interesting premises but poor executions. Films like Cowboys and Aliens, Hancock, I Am Legend, In Time, Chappie, Only God Forgives, and many more are frustrating to watch because they have so much potential to be something great or at the very least interesting. Yet despite everything going for these films, they end up completely fumbling, whether it’s because of an undercooked script, the wrong approach, or some combination of the two. I am mentioning any of this because the way I feel about these “could-have-been-great” movies is how I felt while watching Hit Man.
Directed by Richard Linklater and written by him and lead actor Glen Powell, the film follows a University of New Orleans philosophy professor named Gary Johnson (Powell) who works undercover as a fake hitman for the New Orleans Police Department as part of a series of sting operations to catch criminals who are looking to hire assassins to kill people. Despite his initial hesitation, Gary quickly discovers that he’s a natural at playing a fake hitman as he manages to get confessions out of and arrest dozens of criminals. However, what started as a straightforward side gig for Gary quickly becomes muddled and complicated when he dates Madison Masters (Adria Arjona) as his persona, Ron, the hitman Gary played when he first met her. What started as a hot and steamy romance quickly turns complicated when it’s revealed that Madison may have killed her former husband, Ray (Evan Holtzman).
The first 30 minutes of Hit Man was admittedly entertaining to watch. While I had a hard time buying Glenn Powell as this nerdy, bookish character (a feeling I could never shake), he does a great job playing all the hitman characters that Gary embodied in all these sting operations. From a rude New Englander and a Russian military veteran to a gun-loving redneck and a literal Patrick Bateman impression, Gary plays a wide range of characters to get confessions out of these criminals, and Powell does a fantastic job playing Gary playing these hitmen. Powell is easily the best part of Hit Man and had the film maintained this goofy, lighthearted tone from beginning to end where we watch Powell’s character get into a series of misadventures playing all these whacky characters; then it would have been consistently entertaining romp that I would have been keen on returning to.
Unfortunately, the movie does not maintain this comedic tone. Instead, it completely shifts into this hot and mysterious romance between Gary (who poses as Ron) and Madison in the second act. Due to this shift, my interest in the film took a massive nosedive. While Powell and Arjona do have chemistry, their romance wasn’t interesting or compelling enough to make me care about their relationship or feel scared for them when they inevitably (and predictably) get into trouble by the third act. What starts as goofy and silly comedy quickly spirals into this noir romance. Not only did this tonal whiplash completely take me out of the film, but it also made the experience of watching it so much more tedious and draining. The second act of this film was so repetitive, constantly shifting back and forth between yet another sting operation and yet another sex scene, that I was continually checking my watch, hoping the movie would either wrap up or get to something interesting. By the 40-minute mark, I was pretty much done with Hit Man, so I unsurprisingly was not pleased when there was still an hour of the film remaining.
What’s so frustrating about Hit Man attempting to mash all these different genres and tones is that had it approached this narrative differently, it could have been something compelling. Films like Shaun of the Dead, Parasite, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind are some of many examples that prove that different genres and tones can be blended in ways that create unique and unforgettable experiences. Yet in Hit Man, it felt as if the whacky comedy element and the serious noir romance element were constantly clashing against each other as the movie would repeatedly grind to a halt to change tones.
However, this could be forgiven if the film had other exceptional aspects besides the acting. Unfortunately, there isn’t much else about Hit Man that stood out. For example, the cinematography was surprisingly disappointing as most of this film primarily consisted of shot-reverse shots. While that would be fine in a dumb, throwaway Judd Apatow comedy, it’s underwhelming when such camerawork is featured in a film by an auteur like Linklater. Ultimately, while Hit Man has a fascinating premise, great performances (especially by Glenn Powell), and some moments of entertainment, a lot of the flaws that were holding this movie back left me feeling incredibly disappointed, a feeling that I least expected to have while watching a Linklater film.
Rating: 5/10