Like Richard Linklater’s groundbreaking film, Lazyits 22sd functionality Hitman starts with a little philosophy. In Lazy, this meant that Linklater himself was sitting in the back of an Austin taxi, speaking to an unimpressed driver about the idea that every choice not made creates its own alternate reality, that we are incapable of seeing only because of our own locked perspective. . The film unfolds as a formally radical exploration of this idea: the young thinker in the taxi gives way to a series of momentary protagonists, each connected to the next only by the chance encounter that brings them together.
In Hitmanit’s Glen Powell, Linklater’s on-screen alter ego (he first caught my attention in Linklater’s semi-autobiographical film). Everyone wants some) and his fellow Austinite off-screen, who begins the film with a moment of reflection. His character, a professor of psychology and philosophy at the University of New Orleans, gives a lecture on a passage from Nietzsche on the possibility of reinventing oneself. Like with Lazy, the film that follows will be a playful exploration of this same concept. Be certain, Hitman is far from formally radical, operating instead within the familiar but nonetheless amusing genre of the con artist thriller: in particular, the genre in which the con artist in question discovers his true self via his gift for gambling. (The Classic Caper by Steven Spielberg Catch Me If You Can fits this model, as does the romance at the center of the perfect series You better call Saul.)
Hitman is loosely based on a 2001 Texas Monthly story by writer Skip Hollandsworth, who also wrote the article that inspired Linklater’s dark comedy. Bernie. The subject of the profile and the film is Gary Johnson, who, in addition to teaching part-time at a local college, has a job for which he has a particular set of skills: playing the role of a professional assassin in operations undercover operations designed to eliminate people who plot to contract out the murder of their loved ones or criminal associates.
Using wigs, costumes and sometimes even false teeth, Gary invents a whole stable of characters to suit each client’s needs: a slick-haired charmer inspired by Christian Bale’s Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, a dapper Brit with a tedious sneer, a dirty biker type with a scruffy beard and neck tattoos. An early montage showcasing Gary’s experiments in disguise gives these encounters an ancient ambiance, even as his conversations with his murder-hungry clients offer glimpses into the dark depths of human nature. The montage also shows how shockingly good Gary is at his job: each encounter ends with a mugshot flashing across the screen like newspapers did in old movies, as the would-be murderer is arrested, put on trial. and judged. often (but not always) sent to prison.
In his non-secret life, Gary is a lonely introvert, but he discovers his most transformative persona when he creates laid-back Ron, essentially a more confident, sexier version of himself, who happens to be the character on duty that day -there. he meets Madison Masters (Adria Arjona). While the cops listen via wiretap, Madison and Ron share a slice of pie at a restaurant as she confides in him about the abusive husband whose death she is trying to engineer. Gary-as-Ron sympathizes with this confused (and, not for nothing, beautiful) young woman, and during their conversation, he pushes her to abandon her plan and move away, rather than lead to incriminate himself on tape as destined. The detective leading the operation is annoyed, but Gary’s talent for stopping would-be criminals means he gets little more than a slap on the wrist.
The second half of Hitman is so full of twists and turns that any description of the plot should end there. It is enough to know that Madison, after leaving her husband on the advice of Gary-as-Ron, begins a torrid romance with the man she still considers the most sensitive hitman in the world. Meanwhile, Gary, afraid of being caught up in this unprofessional affair by his colleagues, insists that their relationship remain a secret, you know, for hitman reasons. Romanticizing the woman you talked about killing her husband while pretending to have a job as a hitman is an unsustainable model of lasting intimacy, but audiences find themselves rooting for the unlikely film noir couple: an actual murderer wannabe and a real fake.
For all its serious genre elements, Hitman is at heart a warm-hearted dating film, a minor but thoroughly enjoyable entry in the Linklater canon. Not unlike Bernie, it uses a charismatic central performance to transform a true-crime story into a bittersweet character study. The editing is fast-paced, the music upbeat, and the use of the New Orleans setting often visually witty: as he navigates his deepening legal and ethical dilemma, Gary passes the intersection of Law and Desire streets, and later, stops at the true crossroads of Piety and Pleasure.
HitmanThe ending, while it includes at least one clever and bracing twist, never really plays out these moral conflicts at the level of complexity one might want from a filmmaker as interested in big ideas as Linklater. But the film’s smart, sexy vibe, admirably brisk pace, and Glen Powell’s funny, moving, ingeniously shape-shifting performance—which I’d call “star-making” if he wasn’t already well on his way to one become one – provide reasons. enough to put it on your viewing list. (All the more impressive since Powell, along with Linklater, co-wrote the screenplay, providing the perfect vehicle to show off not only his abs but also his empowerment.) And given that Netflix is only allowing the film one two-week theatrical release. before you stream it, you’d better go see it in theaters this weekend if you want to continue seeing romantic thrillers of an unusually high standard caliber.