This Movie is a Hit, Man
Film
For almost the past 40 years, Richard Linklater has been writing and directing films. Covering a wide span of genres, Linklater's works have often been ubiquitous in modern pop culture. Whether it's the aged like fine wine cult classic Dazed And Confused, his romantic Before (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight) trilogy, or his 2000s homage to childhood rebelliousness School of Rock, there is quite simply a Linklater film for everybody. I've only mentioned about five films in his vast filmography--for some reason omitting the six Oscar-nominated Boyhood which was shot over 12 years--but he's been surely adding to it at an interval of about every other year. Outside of this year if you count the episodic God Save Texas, of which Linklater has one episode, and his latest foray into comedy-drama-romance, Hit Man.
Co-written with Glen Powell and Skip Hollandsworth (credited for his original article on the subject matter), Hit Man is inspired by the true story of Gary Johnson (played by Powell) who, let's say, was a man who wore many hats. An unassuming professor of psychology, Johnson is something of a loner. He lives alone with two cats and enjoys birding in his free time. Powell's portrayal of Johnson even sports below-the-knee jorts and a cell phone holder on his belt. The embodiment of "dad-core" without the kids. And of course, on a part-time teacher's salary, Johnson does what anyone would do, gets a second job working with police on various hidden cameras and listening equipment to incarcerate people hiring "hit men". Powell does a great job being "unassuming," disarming our expectations of him within the first few frames of the film. His loner, cat-dad persona is one of aloof affability that makes it that much more of a shock when he becomes the undercover agent acting as the "hit man" to get the client to incriminate themself.
This is but one instance of Linklater and Powell's incredibly twisty-turvy script that works wonders in dismembering our preconceived notions of identity and self. Johnson's ability to sink into new characters, putting on a new performance for each client is outrageously engaging. Not to mention Powell's performance (within a performance) is what I would simplify as, pure fun. He's doing some hilarious accent work, and the wardrobes are exciting and intriguing, basically whatever Powell is doing here is working wonders.
When you throw in Madison (Adria Arjona), an unhappy married woman asking Ron (Johnson's latest hit man identity) to kill her husband, you begin to see the layers of Hit Man at work. Johnson's lectures are placed throughout the film so you can get a little taste of psychology through Freudian theories. Namely his theory of personality on how everyone is made up of three components, the id, the ego, and the superego.
Ron and Madison's interactions match that of the id, the animalistic instinct that abides by the pleasure principle. While Gary Johnson seems like a moral person, the superego, Ron takes over when it's time for Hit Man to lean into the sexiness of its romantic components. Not to mention Arjona and Powell's chemistry is off the charts, making the full-steam-ahead love affair much more potent, thus giving some depth to Johnson's psyche.
Not everything works to such satisfaction however as the antagonist of the film, the dirty cop Johnson replaces (Austin Amelio), gets a little lost in the weeds of the third act. With all of the twists and turns, each one surprisingly more fun than the prior, the core of the story gets a bit muddled. In the end, I was left a little perplexed by the motivations of Johnson, the subtext of personality components ultimately being just a little undercooked.
Luckily for Linklater and company, Hit Man has enough in the tank to compensate for its misgivings. The chemistry between Powell and Arjona gives the film a gigantic boost of sexy romance while Powell's rangy performance is good clean entertainment. Toss in Linklater's sturdy direction and you've got yourself a well-baked pie for all to enjoy.
Because after all, all pie is good pie.
Froth
I think that we can all agree that a movie in which Gary Johnson doesn't actually become a fake hit man and we just watch him go birding for three hours would be riveting.
No?
Well I'm imagining that's what Powell's Johnson really wanted to spend his time doing, outside of hanging with his cats. Which is why I'm opting for pairing Hit Man with Fast Fashion Brewing's Birding! Isn't it nice when the beer just magically falls into place? That's right, it sure is.
Birding is a German Pilsner full of spicy Saaz hop flavors while still retaining the refreshing crispness of more American Pilsner tastes. With all the great surprises in Hit Man, along with the spicy chemistry of Powell and Arjona, there's no need for an overly bitter beverage. Or a dark pour of chocolate. But instead, a simple yet elegant Pilsner is the perfect couch partner for Linklater's hit. Then again, all beer is good beer.
