Early in Richard Linklater’s crime-comedy Hit Man, Glen Powell’s character Gary Johnson reiterates that the concept of a hitman is a fantasy. He says that pop culture has led those with questionable ethics to believe that, if they call the right number or walk down a seedy alley, they could meet a mysterious figure who can get their enemies “taken care of.”
While some true crime cases may say otherwise, by the end of Hit Man, the film itself (which hit streaming on Netflix on June 7) fully leans into movie magic. After taking inspiration from the real-life story of a man who worked undercover for the Houston police by posing as a professional killer, Hit Man gives his story a Hollywood rom-com update when he falls for one of his “clients,” a woman named Madison (Adria Arjona) in fear of her abusive husband (Evan Holtzman). By the ending, Linklater and Powell offer a melodramatic, classic rom-com conclusion, and a thoughtful statement on identity.
