Hit Man actually came as a genuine surprise for me. The film brought in a sense of familiarity, a certain nostalgia hit which reminded me so much of the ’90s era of Hollywood, a time when mid-budget movies were not only great, but ruled the box office. Just like its protagonist’s ability to transform into different identities, Richard Linklater’s latest, which can largely be described as kind of a romantic comedy, comfortably shifts into a noir and erotic thriller, and even slips in a philosophical study of the human identity. Hit Man is smart and sexy, and most importantly, it’s a great film.

Based on a Texas Monthly true crime article by Skip Hollandsworth, Hit Man stars Glen Powell (who also co-wrote the screenplay with Linklater) as Gary Johnson, an unassuming philosophy professor who moonlights as a fake hitman for the New Orleans Police Department. He helps the cops in their sting operations to capture potential clients as they arrange to have someone killed. Originally as the tech guy for the surveillance van, Gary is forced to step in when an undercover agent Jasper is suspended for police brutality against teenagers. And surprisingly, it turns out Gary’s a natural at it, eventually replacing Jasper as the police department’s fake hitman.

Of course, Gary doesn’t have the slightest idea about contract killings. But his philosophy background affords him a thorough understanding of the human mind and identity. He takes his new role seriously, researching the people he meets and creating a suitable persona that makes them more comfortable in handing over the money. It’s a morally tricky profession to be quite honest, essentially catching suspects for a future crime rather than one that’s already been committed. It can be somehow excused, however, since most of his clients are thugs and criminal lowlifes. That is until he meets Madison Masters (Adria Arjona), a seemingly innocent young woman who wants to get rid of her husband. The two strike a genuine conversation and they hit it off instantly. After the two make a connection, Gary (now as Ron) makes a decision to let her go, advising her to take the money and start a new life.

Inevitably, Gary falls for this beautiful woman, and like a good noir, it also leads to his own undoing. There’s an immediate spark that you could feel the moment Powell and Arjona meet. This unbelievable chemistry between the two leads, which you rarely see these days, carries the entire second half of the film. And there’s no doubt that this movie would entirely crumble without it. It’s also in this back-half of Hit Man where the script’s unpredictability shines. There are many points in the film where I had expected for the story to go one way, only to be completely swerved into another direction. Linklater and Powell’s brilliant screenplay always stays one step ahead of the audience, and never telegraphs where it could go.

Arjona has shown her capabilities in a fair share of supporting roles in film and TV (Andor, Morbius), but her performance in Hit Man is a star-making role. She easily matches Powell’s charm and comes off dangerously stunning in a way that is comparable to the great noir femme fatales. Powell showcases that he is, in fact, leading man material. While he’s had a great streak of films recently (Top Gun: Maverick, Anyone But You), Powell comfortably shapeshifting into different personalities is just fun to watch, and he’s so good at selling each persona. It could also be a running gag to display his versatility. It’s not a surprise Hollywood’s taken notice of him.

Hit Man would be your run-of-the-mill streaming schlock in the hands of a lesser director, but Linklater brings out the best in his two leads to deliver a fresh take to the tired hitman genre. It’s a sexy, deceptively complex film, and one of the director’s more entertaining films in his career. Although it’s found a home in Netflix, the content algorithm can’t make something this good.

Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.