Glen Powell plays college professor-turned-fake hitman Gary Johnson in Richard Linklater’s crime comedy Hit Man.
Glen Powell has seen his star status gradually rise in the past few years and this summer is set to be his biggest yet with the release of Twisters and Hit Man.
Richard Linklater’s latest film takes inspiration from the real-life Gary Johnson (portrayed by Powell), a university professor who used to moonlight as a fake hitman, working with the police to help them convict people soliciting a contract killer.
When Madison (Adria Arjona) sets up a meeting with his fake hitman Ron, Gary advises her to leave her abusive marriage rather than resort to murder. Although he fails his mission, his kindness sparks a date with Madison and they soon strike up a romance under false pretences – she thinks he’s Ron, not Gary.
From this point, the story becomes hilariously complicated and messy, with many excellent twists and turns. Gary gets caught up in a web of lies trying to be Ron with Madison and Gary everywhere else.
Hit Man is a stellar showcase of Powell’s talents – he switches between Gary, a lonely strait-laced teacher, and the sexy and assertive hitman Ron. But it’s not that simple – Ron’s confidence rubs off on Gary and he gradually becomes more like Ron in his real life.
But Powell doesn’t just play two versions of the same character – he portrays many different hitmen personas too. He discovers that he’s more effective at his fake job if he tailors his hitman to the client. He employs a range of disguises and accents to play a wide range of characters from a black-haired Russian assassin to a ginger British nerd. The hair and make-up do a lot of the work but Powell convincingly becomes so many different people.
He has also has steamy chemistry with Arjona, who is magnetic and captivating. There is more to her character than meets the eye and she doesn’t disappoint.
Hit Man defies genre – it is both a crime comedy and a romantic comedy. This makes it an entertaining all-rounder that offers something for everyone.
On Netflix from Friday 7th June.
© Cover Media