Hit Man. Asesino por casualidad

Richard Linklater's movie career has been punctuated by intense narratives originating from everyday events. 'Hit Man' somehow achieves the opposite - it's a fluffy confection based on the exploits of a psychology professor who poses as a professional hit man.

The purpose of Gary Johnson's masquerades is to help his local police department entrap those wanting to hire a killer. The film's introductory sequences show several unconvincing restaurant encounters where he assures a procession of would-be murderers he's a hardened criminal in the liquidation business. When a beautiful Latina asks him to terminate her abusive husband, Gary baffles his handlers by refusing her down-payment, and suggesting she initiates divorce proceedings instead of contracting a homicide. By this point, the narrative has departed from anything close to gritty realism - and clownish complications ensue when Gary secretly starts an affair with this 'femme fatale' while maintaining his assassin persona.

'Hit Man' could have followed in the footsteps of modern classics like 'Body Heat', but Linklater chooses to play it for comedy rather than drama. Tension is lost as the story becomes increasingly frivolous, until it arrives at a conclusion that belongs in a farce. The acting performances and lightly amusing screenplay just about hold one's interest, but the final product feels like an insubstantial appetizer that could have been a memorable main course with a different approach.

The premise is very good: a mashup of romcom and noirish thriller in the vein of Notting Hill meets Double Indemnity. It should provide all sorts of setups for dark comedy and the means to upend both genres. Unfortunately this movie skews too far in the direction of romcom. There's a funny prelude in which Glen Powell showcases his comedic chops under the guise of various personas. After that the the movie becomes an extended one-note joke in which the gag is simply that it's a romcom with horrible people as the protagonists. The idea wears out its welcome long before the movie ends and otherwise not a whole lot happens.

So much of the dialogue contradicts itself, so many of the characters actions make no sense. The plot had so much potential based on the setup, but the female lead is utterly unlikable and you never feel sympathetic or even like she's a real person.

This could have been cool, about him actually becoming a hitman, him involved with the husband's mobster family, etc. Instead it becomes a typical and predictable plot. Such a bummer and was so close.

This paragraph is just to make my review long enough for the new six hundred character requirement instituted because Amazon's $1Billion snow ranked and got bombed on this site. Hopefully they change it back because this is a waste of my and everyone else's time for quite literally seemingly absolutely no reason. Boom six hundred characters.

In a world of Hollywood formulas and studio safe bets, there's something refreshing about Hit Man and it's quirky out of the box story.

It follows Glen Powell as the eponymous Hit Man who gets into a complicated relationship with one of his clients. I won't go into any more detail as there's lots of fun layers to unravel with this film which are best discovered in the moment, but as mentioned it feels quite fresh and unique. It has really solid comedy, drama and romance, and will keep you on your toes throughout.

Rising to occasion of the great story is Glen Powell who shines once again in a leading role. His charisma always shines through and there's an instant connection to him and his character that never wanes. Matching him perfectly is Adria Arjona, the chemistry between them absolutely electric.

My only real complaints with this film are that it took too long to get going and was over far too quickly. Aside from these pacing issues there really isn't much to complain about with this film.

So if you are in the mood for a funny, sexy and dramatic film that will draw you in to it's weird and mysterious story then look no further than Hit Man.

First thing's first: Glen Powell is incredible in this movie. He transforms across the spectrum of characters incredibly well. He's dynamic and believable in this role that boarders on absurdity and keeps it in bounds.

The premise of the story was entertaining and engaging, with an enjoyable secondary cast.

Adria Arjona was also fun, but her character could've better developed. The high octane romance tag transpires feels entirely too surface for how emotionally involved it becomes in the end. There were no flashes of actual connection beyond sexual intensity and discussion about murder. It would've been nice to see them have at least one "get to know you" interaction outside of the sex-murder dichotomy.

The ending is also.... Unnecessary. Maybe for laughs amongst the people who knew the real Gary Johnson, but for storytelling purposes it was a little too campy.

An entertaining watch, one of Netflix's better recent films. But it does fall a little flat in a couple places.