2024   Netflix

Rated:  R

Length:  1 hr  55min

Comedy ~ Crime ~ Romance

Directed by:  Richard Linklater

Starring:  Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Austin Amelio, Retta, and Sanjay Rao.

“Seize the identity you want for yourself, and whoever you want to be, be them with passion and abandon. And all pie is good pie.”

Glen Powell stars as Gary Johnson, a Philosophy and Psychology college professor by day, who moonlights with the police department assisting on sting operations. They are busting people who are looking to hire a hit man. Gary is assisting on a sting operation with Claudette (Retta), Phil (Sanjay Rao), and Jasper (Austin Amelio)when Retta tells him that Jasper just got suspended for beating up some kids. Jasper was undercover as “The Hit Man” and now they need a replacement. “Gary, you’re up. We don’t have anybody else, you’re gonna have to play “The Hit Man”.

Mild-mannered Gary The College Professor turns on the acting skills and transforms himself into “The Hit Man”, getting his first collar. With Jasper on suspension, and doing so well on the sting, the Chief agrees to let Gary keep playing “The Hit Man” undercover. He gets better and better as he makes each collar. Improvising accents, costumes and even using Hollywood style make-up to change his appearance. He starts doing intensive research on the clients to figure out what they think their “Hit Man” might look and act like. He gets very good at his job.

One day he meets Madison Figueroa Masters (Adria Arjona) at a diner where she is looking to hire him to off her abusive husband. After some witty banter between the two of them, they seem to hit it off and Gary (who is playing the part of “Ron” The Hit Man) decides to talk her out of doing the crime. “Why don’t you take the money and start you a new life?, leave him right now and go get yourself a new place.” She takes his advice and several weeks later sends “Ron” a text and invites him to a charity function.

They become romantically involved and  their relationship does not sit well with her ex-husband. Eventually he tracks down “Ron” the Hit Man and tries to hire him to “take care of his wife”. Things get rather complicated after that for Gary. Madison thinks he is Ron the Hit Man, there is a murder, and a conspiracy involving lots of money. All tied to Madison and Gary, who is leading several different lives and roles at this point.

HIT MAN is based on a true story. In the 1980’s and 90’s, there was a real life Gary Johnson who worked for the Houston police department at night, College professor by day. There was an instance when he talked a woman out of hiring him, and they later became romantically involved. Glen Powell and Richard Linklater wrote the script based loosely on those facts, the rest is glamourized for the sake of the movie. The movie is based in New Orleans, not Houston where the real Gary Johnson lived and worked.

I liked it, thought it was real good. It’s funny and it is a Rom-com(Romance ~ Comedy). The relationship between Gary and Madison was very believable. And watching Gary struggle with trying to keep up the guise of Ron The Hit Man with Madison as they became more involved was almost comical.

The folks liked it as well, having watched it night before last.

That’s a big SIX THUMBS UP!