Inspired by stranger-than-fiction true story of Gary Johnson, a mild-mannered psychology and philosophy professor who leads a double life as a fake hit man in Texas.
Glen Powell showcases his versatile take on the multifaceted role, after a streak of success with worldwide hits “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Anyone but You” in the last couple of years (and will be seen in the "Twister" remake this summer). In addition to doling out philosophical questions and lessons in college, Gary has a talent for all things electronics and digital. He assists with police surveillance to catch those who hire a hit man in the act.
When the crooked cop, Jasper (Austin Amelio), assigned as a fake hit man, is hit with a suspension on the way to a sting operation, Gary is tapped to be in his role. He discovers his surprising hidden talent in disguising himself as a hit man - meeting with unsuspecting suspects, connecting with them to tell him their stories, confessing their darkest desires to eliminate their most problematic problems by killing certain people in their lives.
Beyond hair wigs, colored eye contacts, stained teeth and varied outfits, Gary looks like a new man. A chameleon, he drastically changes his posture and tone of voice from meek to cocksure, switching personalities and transforming himself to be a murderer-for-hire. He compellingly details his methods of disposing human body parts – head, body, teeth, fingertips as if he’s done this often. This is spoken in a convincing yet cavalierly comical way and the interaction is hilarious to watch.
Wearing a wire with the police listening in, Gary’s undercover work catches the murder plotters in the act, leading to numerous arrests. This changes when Gary, as hit man Ron, encounters Madison (Adria Arjona), a distressed woman who claims that the reason she wants to hire a hit man is to kill her husband is because he is abusive and she is scared of him.
Gary is drawn to the beautiful and vulnerable Madison and convinces her that there must be another way to escape her marriage and asks her to think about her future self. She listens intently and ends up divorcing her husband. When they reconnect, it’s Madison who looks like a new woman. The timid-turned-beguiling Madison is now free and flirtatious.
Madison doesn’t know Ron's true identity, and Gary, aware that he’s being with a woman who’s capable of hiring a hit man, can’t exactly have her in his real life either. Madison sometimes doesn’t believe Gary kills people for a living based on what she’s seen him as a person, and sometimes she does; she doesn’t quite know what to make of it. They decide to keep their playful trysts in the confines of Madison's place. And Madison always knows Gary as Ron.
Real life has a way of intruding itself, however. Nothing stays hidden indefinitely and entrapment ensues. Gary must make a split-second, life-changing decision that concerns his concept of self and the tricky persona his has built for himself.
Imagine if your life as a mere construct and you can be anyone you want to be. Netflix takes a really wide turn to fiction in the femme fatale character and final act that counts. The wild ending of the Richard Linklater-directed noir thriller, screwball romantic comedy is not meant to be a morality tale, so take it with a comedic stride.
An irony of twists and comedy of errors, “Hit Man” is an entertaining tale of role plays and possibilities.
