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Hit Man Netflix Movie Review: Richard Linklater's Hilarious Dark Comedy

Updated: Jul 4


Hit Man on Netflix is one of those streaming movies that makes for a good watch with a decent plotline and good direction. Originally premiering at the Cannes Film Festival in September 2023, it dropped on Netflix in May 2024. This movie has quite a few things going for it which we will comb through.


Plot of Hit Man Netflix Movie


Glen Powell is probably a nice person with a kind heart but he does play a lot of douchey roles and I have had a hard time liking him as an actor. Not to say that he is a bad actor, but it's just that he comes off as too much of a Chad.


In the Hit Man Netflix movie, he does a fantastic job with narrative voiceover without it being too obvious or cringe. Powell walks the line between dark humor and pathos with great ease while playing this real-life person who did similar things.


Directed by Richard Linklater, Hit Man tells the true story of Gary Johnson, a professor of philosophy and psychology at the University of New Orleans. He also moonlights as an undercover professional for the New Orleans Police Department, supporting their sting operations.



One fine day when the undercover cop who meets people face to face is out of action, Gary is thrust into the limelight as the person who inspires a confession from the unsuspecting criminals and gets that on tape.



Glen Powell does an amazing job of transforming into various personas as the situation demands with him turning into everything from a Russian thug and German contract killer to a southern Hillbilly with a simple mind.


The soundtrack for Hit Man is really catchy with a good background score along with great cinematography. None of the scenes seem slow with every scene keeping the story moving forward without any painful drama.




Cast


Adria Arjona sizzles on screen with her spot-on chemistry with Powell. Arjona always reminded me of Eiza González although González has sharper features with much higher cheekbones and a different voice.



Retta is killing it as usual as a police officer in this hilarious yet dark action-comedy. Sanjay Rao plays Phil who has a microscopic amount of screen time with a role that really does not add much to the movie as a whole.


Retta in Hit man movie on Netlfix

Austin Amelio does a great job playing the jaded cop Jasper who is frustrated with doing the same thankless job every time with insufficient pay.


Molly Kate Bernard plays Gary's ex-wife Alicia to perfection as a warm and friendly presence in the life of the complex character that is Gary Johnson.


Gary Johnson's cats named Ego and Id

There are a great many details that are well-crafted and shown equally well such as Gary's cats named Ego and ID.



While watching this movie remember that most made-for-streaming movies suck the big one and are average at best. When you factor in this statistic, Hit Man comes off looking pretty good. The entire cast of the movie delivers praiseworthy performances with the whole thing being edited quite well.


Should You Watch it? Yes!


While this movie will probably not win any Oscars, it is definitely worth a watch for the cast, acting, and brilliant execution.


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