How to Fake a Murder for Hire

I like a film with a good hook. In fact I think the hook is generally what sells a movie. Sure, as an audience member I will say, “yeah, I like comedies,” but depending on the premise of the comedy I might not care to actually watch the resulting film. A comedy about guys getting drunk in a hot tub and ending up back in the 1980s because the hot tub is magical? Yeah, that’s a silly but amusing hook that can get me to give the film a chance. This applies to just about any genre – I’m tired of superhero films, but a superhero movie about a dude that dresses like a bat sounds intriguing enough to get me to check it out no matter the occasion – but comedies in particular I think live or die by their hook. The hook of the film tells you why the film will not only be interesting, but also why it will be funny, and you need a comedy to be funny. That’s its one job.

A man, working for the police, who pretends to be a hit man so he can entrap them into trying to commit murder of hire is a pretty good hook. That’s the premise of the 2023 NetflixOriginally started as a disc-by-mail service, Netflix has grown to be one of the largest media companies in the world (and one of the most valued internet companies as well). With a constant slate of new internet streaming-based programming that updates all the time, Netflix has redefined what it means to watch TV and films (as well as how to do it). film Hit Man, a movie loosely based on a true story (right up until it blatantly isn’t), starring a couple of really likable and charismatic stars. Would I want to watch a film about a hit man? Maybe, but seeing a film about a dude who pretends to be a hit man is even better because then you can like the guy and laugh at his exploits without having to ponder moral quandaries about right and wrong… well, at least until the film forces them on you anyway.

Directed by Richard Linklater, Hit Man focuses on Gary Johnson (the ever charismatic Glen Powell), a professor of psychology and philosophy who also happens to be a pretty decent amateur electronics tech. In his spare time, when he’s not reading at home with his cats or teaching class, he helps the police by wiring up recording and listening devices that they use out in the field. He’s teamed up with Claudette (Retta) and Phil (Sanjay Rao), police officers working stings on would-be murder for hire cases. Effectively they send a ringer in, police officer Jasper (Austin Amelio), and he pretends to be a hit man. He gets the people, who already want to hire a hit man, to say on mic that they want to hire him, have them give him payment, and then the would-be murder hirers get arrested for the crime.

The only problem is that Jasper gets popped for an incident for a bit of light police brutality and is forced out on suspension. Without anyone else to do the scheme, Claudette and Phil tap Gary to do the job. And, as it turns out, he’s a natural. He finds the character within himself, creates a whole identity, and becomes someone else, someone they want to hire to kill. He gets so good at it that even when Jasper comes back to the force, the team still wants to use Gary as the fake hit man. But when Gary meets a beautiful woman, Madison (Adria Arjona), who wants to hire him to kill her husband, Gary finds his world quickly spinning way out of control…

The film is based very loosely on a true story, that of the real Gary Johnson, a college professor who worked for the Houston police in the 1980s and 1990s as a fake hit man. That part of the film is more or less true, but everything about him after, effectively, the first half and hour, is almost complete fabrication. Which is good because the story of a guy that pretends to be a hit man falling in love with a woman who wanted to hire a hit man, and then many of the narrative twists that come after, would really only work in a movie and couldn’t possibly be real. Also, spoiler, Gary ends up killing a dude in the film, so you know that when the movie cautions you at the start that it’s only partially based on the truth, you gotta take everything in the movie with a grain of salt.

With all that said, the film written by Powell and Linklater, directed by Linklater and starring Powell, is really quite good. It’s one of those little hidden gems of Netflix, released for a short window in theaters (with minimal fanfare) before then getting dumped onto the streaming service and disappearing into the vault, only occasionally being resurrected by the algorithm before disappearing again. That’s a real pity because this is a very watchable little sorta-romantic comedy that could have been a true classic if any other studio had distributed it.

The key to the film is Powell. This is an absolute showcase for his performance, letting him play dozens of different versions of Gary, from the mild mannered professor through each of the identities he puts on, including Ray, the killer that Madison hires, falls for, and then falls into a conspiracy with over time. He crafts a very specific version of each character in the film, and Powell makes each version of Gary come to life in fun and interesting ways. Sometimes it’s a goofy costume that helps sell it, sure, but under it all there’s Powell’s charisma lighting the way.

The rest of the cast is good, to be sure, but the only other person that really holds a candle to Powell’s charisma is Adria Arjona. There’s palpable sparks between the two when they share scenes, with Arjona playing Madison with all the vivaciousness (and bedroom eyes) you’d expect from someone that has fallen for a handsome, supposedly quite dangerous, man. The two of them on screen dominate, and it’s easy to understand just how Gary could fall for her and risk so much of his life for this woman.

The film is very funny, but it also takes some turns that some might not find so amusing. The last act in particular goes from silly romantic comedy with just a little tension to full blown murder caper, and while I can appreciate where the story goes it does feel like a stark tonal shift for the story. That last act, without spoiling anything too much, might be a bridge too far for some viewers, changing their perspective on the characters, ruining some of the happy-go-lucky vibes the film was giving off up till then.

With that said, the film is directed with assurity and aplomb by Linklater. The director is old hat at handling fun and weird comedies, from his time directing films like Slacker and Dazed and Confused through School of Rock and then the murder comedy Bernie. He has a solid hand when it comes to taking characters that, on paper, should be unlikable and making them into protagonists you want to follow. Sure, it’s easy to do that when you have a charismatic actor like Powell in the lead, but you need someone like Linklater behind the camera, keeping the tone right throughout the production.

Hit Man is an oddball bit of fun that goes to some places you wouldn’t expect from the opening moments. It’s not a perfect film, no, but it gets so much right that you end up willing to forgive a few minor (murderous) indiscretions. In the end you’ll come away, at the very least, enjoying the Gary character, and that’s thanks to the two at the center of the film, in front of and behind the camera. Just remember it’s all a fake and the story isn’t real. That’ll help you a lot in getting through the film to the end.