Hit Man | |
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Directed by | Richard Linklater |
Screenplay by |
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Based on | "Hit Man" by Skip Hollandsworth |
Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Shane F. Kelly |
Edited by | Sandra Adair |
Music by | Graham Reynolds |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Netflix |
Release dates |
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Running time | 115 minutes [1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $8.8 million [2] |
Hit Man is a 2023 American romantic action comedy film produced and directed by Richard Linklater, who co-wrote the screenplay with Glen Powell, based on the 2001 Texas Monthly magazine article of the same name by Skip Hollandsworth. The film stars Powell, Adria Arjona, Austin Amelio, and Retta, and follows an undercover New Orleans police contractor who poses as a reliable hitman as he tries to save a woman in need.
Hit Man premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 5, 2023, and was released in select theaters in the United States on May 24, 2024, before its streaming debut by Netflix on June 7. The film received praise from critics, who commended its themes and Powell's performance.
A part-time staffer with the New Orleans Police Department stumbles into the role of posing undercover as a reliable hitman with the goal of arresting those trying to hire him. He discovers he has a talent for theatrically matching the expectations of his suspects with often-humorous costumes, accents, and mannerisms, which makes him especially adept at his work. He meets with a woman who wants a hitman to kill her husband, but he falls for her at first sight and saves her from getting entrapped. Later she bamboozles her way into his life and murders her husband for the insurance money. The story explores how far will a person go for infatuation, love, and personal happiness.
Before the 2022 Cannes Film Market, Hit Man was announced as a new film for sale internationally. The screenplay was based on "Hit Man", a Texas Monthly article by Skip Hollandsworth, and written by Richard Linklater and Glen Powell, who would also direct and star, respectively. Adria Arjona would also star. [3] AGC Studios reported strong sales for international distribution at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. [4] Powell was joined by Austin Amelio, Retta, and Molly Bernard in October 2022. [5] [6] Though inspired from a real life person, many of the things, including the romance track in the plot and ending are highly fictionalized. [7] Filming began in New Orleans in October 2022, [6] [8] and production was completed that November. [9]
Hit Man had its international premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 5 2023, [10] followed afterward by its North American premiere on September 11 at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). [11]
Netflix acquired distribution rights to the film for $20 million at TIFF, making it the largest film deal of the festival and of 2023, with plans for a theatrical release as well. [12] It was released in select theaters in the United States on May 24, 2024, [13] before streaming on Netflix on June 7, 2024. [14]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 97% of 115 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.2/10.The website's consensus reads: "A deceptively dark thriller that's also loaded with laughs, Hit Man is an outstanding showcase for leading man Glen Powell—and one of the most purely entertaining films of Richard Linklater's career." [15] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 84 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". [16]
Writing for the The Washington Post, Ty Burr awarded the film 4 out of 4 stars, calling it "a blast of pure pleasure and one of the year’s best films." [17] In another positive review, Alissa Wilkinson of The New York Times described Hit Man as "romantic, sexy, hilarious, satisfying and a genuine star-clinching turn for Glen Powell." [18] Wilkinson, along with several other reviewers, remarked on the philosophical questions posed by the film. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian wrote that the multiple identities assumed by Gary allow both the character and the viewer to consider "the question of whether there is in fact a true 'self', an irreducible core of authentic identity that remains behind when all imitations or influences are removed". [19] Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com also described the movie as a "philosophical study of the human capacity to change". [20] However, Zachary Barnes of The Wall Street Journal noted a lack of subtlety, calling Gary's lectures in philosophy class "overly obvious as expressions of the movie’s themes". [21] Chris Evangelista of Slashfilm wrote a mixed review in which he described the film as "forgettable, and often uninspired", though he praised the performance of the actors. [22]
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