In Hit Man, Netflix banks on the starring status power of Hollywood’s current “it” man as the face of this odd comedy.
Hit Man (2024) Netflix Film Review
Gary Johnson (Glen Powell) is happy in his quiet and unassuming life. He’s a teacher who goes home to his cats at the end of day, likes research and his best friend is his ex. It’s his tendency to think through everything and research that makes Gary quite perfect to moonlight for the police department. He uses his knowledge to help their fake hit man team to put away people wanting to, well, off someone.
The thing is, as Gary tells us, hit men are a myth. But the myth is all people need to try and hire someone. When Gary must step in as the actual (albeit pretend) hit man, he must become anyone else at any given time, and turns out, he’s quite good at this. But what happens when he begins to believe the myth as he begins to blur that line between real and fantasy?
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‘HIT MAN’: NETFLIX AND GLEN POWELL PRODUCE AN ODD DARK COMEDY. #GlenPowell stars in this #Netflix 2024 film. Share on XThis film has the kind of attitude I love. The disguises it takes to make its mild-mannered hero someone else is fun. At least until a point. The film goes beyond just Gary though. It’s a kind of portrait that looks into a person and asks, who are you? Or even, can we be someone else if the right situation presents? It’s a kind of portrait even of itself as a film, too. Finding words to explain this in the best way is impossible.
The cast is quite good and honestly, I’ve liked Powell in everything he’s featured in (so far). It may, in part be the fame he has, but I do think he’s good. He’s done romance and comedy, drama and action already and I think he does them all well. I loved him in Set it Up, think he’s appropriately hot-headed in Top Gun: Maverick, and love that we get to see him be ordinary in Hit Man. Seeing her way back when in Emerald City, it’s fun to see Adria Arjona in something, though I don’t really like her character here.
Unusual, but surprisingly interesting, Hit Man is worth watching if you don’t mind an adult film. (I use a language filter to remove some of the adult-ness.) Though part of the way this ends isn’t really my cup of tea. It forces you to like the characters less, and in my opinion, this aspect of the film promotes more toxicity than any of the 2000s romcoms people loathe. Up until this point, I do like this one. It’s an interesting look at walking a line and wondering, where we stop that line from blurring. Imperfect, yes. Adult, yes. Fun, yes. Hit Man is all these things and more.
You can stream this film exclusively on Netflix
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Content: there’s several scenes of a couple having sex. They go “down” on each other, and remove clothes. We see them in bed post, and a side shot of nudity. We see someone in lingerie seducing someone. They undress and get in bed. We see them in a tub together. There are many uses of the f-word. Other profanity like “shit,” GD and other profanity. There is also much talk about murdering people; someone dies after a plastic bag is placed over their head. The film is R.
Photos: Netflix