Hit Man is a film based on people living lies, on deception, on faking it till you make it. It contains one truth that is so true no one believes it: hit men are not real. Sure you have your mafia guns, you have state actors trained to take out opponents via the medium of the balcony fall, and so on. But retail hit men whose profession is to whack your wife for $10,000 who you can get hold of just by asking the right people? That is a Hollywood invention. But it is a Hollywood invention so compelling that, for example, if you’re good at deception you can pretend to be one and, in turn, become the inspirational ‘hit man’ of Hit Man who worked for the cops and put the would-be killers-by-proxy away before they could do any real damage. That inspiration is Gary Johnson. This is not his true story because that would be too real. But it is a possible interpretation of his story. And, as Hit Man, makes clear, sometimes approximation is all you need. God, I love this film.
The Texas Monthly article that Richard Linklater optioned a couple of decades ago is available to read online. In it, you will learn, that the real Gary Johnson, a college lecturer who lives with his two cats, is also used by the cops (in Houston) to pose a hit man for frustrated husbands, angry wives, livid business partners (etc) who wish to off someone. And that, and remember hit men are not real, he has convinced more than 60 people of his act to the extent that they are now in jail for conspiracy to kill. How could such a timid man become a convincing for-hire-killer, and what might happen if he goes too far? Well, welcome to Hit Man, a beautifully cynical and downright sexy slice of sun-kissed noir that takes its central idea of a good man turning almost bad (and then really bad) and runs with it. And it’s also pretty funny too.
Glen Powell is Gary Johnson. He is a bird-spotting, Plato-quoting college lecturer who cannot inspire anyone and who is basically killing time until he is found dead and alone with his cats walking over him. You will note, however, that Glen Powell is a very buff and good looking gentleman. He will not stay alone and cat-dependent for long and his chance for self improvement comes when Jasper (Austin Amelio), who is an actual cop who does the hit man posing, is suspended. Gary steps up, is successful, and suddenly finds a calling as he creates a range of genuinely funny diverse hit men that are call backs to so many films through the years. These thirty second showcases are just joyous and build to the moment when he meets, in the character of hot-guy ‘Ron’, a young lady called Madison (Adria Arjona) who would like, very much, to terminally end her relationship with her husband.
What follows then is a twisted story of becoming new people, of lying, of scorching hot sex, of more lying, of a bit of murder and not murder, some killer jokes, and denouements that may or may not be deserved but are always watchable.
Linklater is an absolute master at making a film come together and he has brought his ‘A’ game to this one. It is a skill to make so many characters show their real sides even as we know that they are actually lying to each other and probably themselves. And, clocking in at under two hours, Hit Man absolutely knows that this isn’t one you want to dwell on too much. It has smart lines, some excellent performances, and it looks terrific, but it probably would fall apart if you stopped and went, “Hang on” at any point. It helps that the pleasure is not in any specific twists – key reveals are not held back at any point – but in the fun of watching things roll along. And, rather like the very idea of hit men, there is a veneer of disbelievability throughout that means you don’t need to delve into the plot or motivations too much. We know that the main things on display are fiction so why not enjoy some more fiction.
It all builds to a nicely cynical set of pay-offs which may annoy some but absolutely fit the film’s ethos. Don’t believe anything. Trust nothing. Everything is a lie. And, yet, isn’t this oddly heartwarming and sincere? Hit Man is a triumph.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go eat some pie. After all, all pie is good pie.
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