They made a COMEDY about a paid killer and it’s great. The hero of “Hit Man” really existed [RECENZJA]

Linklater is a true master of storytelling. He is famous for his cinema in which he gives voice to ordinary people, talks about seemingly uninteresting places and relationships that do not seem unique at first glance. Instead of letting successful people triumph on the screen, it shows viewers mediocre people, and often even those who have not achieved much in life. In the brilliant “Dazed and Confused” it was David Wooderson (Matthew McConaughey), the eternal Peter Pan who, instead of growing up, chose the path of an aging local high school legend. In “School of Rock”, Dewey Finn (Jack Black), a would-be music star who, instead of going to big stadiums, ended up at an elementary school where he had to earn rent.

“Hit Man” [RECENZJA]

In “Hit Man”, we meet Gary Johnson (Glen Powell), a philosophy professor who seems to be at peace with his predictable life. He drives an unobtrusive car, wears bland clothes in bland colors, is welcomed home by two cats, and his apartment is extremely functional. Johnson has the most boring (if we use stereotypes, of which the film abounds) passion imaginable – philosophy, and only when he talks about the assumptions of great thinkers does his soporific tone of voice change and there is genuine excitement in it.

However, as it quickly turns out, boring Gary supplements his teacher’s salary in a very unusual way. Johnson helps the police track down people who hire paid killers, and when his “workmate” pretending to be the titular hitman has to go on forced leave, Gary is tasked with replacing him. Although the story sounds unbelievable, Gary Johnson was real. The script of “Hit Man” was inspired by real events described in Texas Monthly magazine. However, the film clearly emphasizes that the real Gary Johnson has no conscience for the crimes that the scriptwriters attributed to him in the later stages of the story.

A shy, slightly awkward philosopher posing as a hitman? Sounds like the perfect recipe for disaster. Nothing could be further from the truth. Gary did so well in his new role that he got a permanent job. However, the man decided to make real art with the help of the police. Johnson adapted to each fictitious client, changing hair color, clothes, facial expressions, tone of voice and interests (any fans of “Through the Dark Mirror” here? Here we have a delicious comedic reference to Linklater’s 2006 work). These several minutes of the film are a masterful performance by Glen Powell, who clearly wrote the script to show off his talent, which he had probably never had the opportunity to present on such a scale before. However, this is not the case of Bradley Cooper and “Maestro”, Powell boasts about his skills as a pretext. The hero’s behavior further emphasizes his perfectionism, commitment, and the ability to make flawless observations, which connects his character with the film’s director himself.

“Hit Man” is a neat combination of comedy, action, thriller and noir

However, Johnson’s carefree attitude does not last long. During one of the assignments, when Gary went to the meeting place as the confident, handsome and extremely feisty Ron, the fake hitman meets Madison. The hero breaks all the rules for the woman. Ron becomes Johnson’s real alter ego for a long time. Thanks to him, Gary can fulfill all his fantasies that he never had the courage to realize before. Glen Powell masterfully maneuvers between Gary and Ron, and each of his extremely different characters is equally credible. In turn, the chemistry between the main character and Adria Arjona (Madison in the film) is absolutely unique. If there is such a thing as “sexy cinema”, this is it.

In the following minutes of the film, Linklater serves us fast-paced action with a few neat turns. Although at times the plot doesn’t quite come together, that’s not what its creator is aiming for in this production. And he doesn’t really care about anything. Although the clear leitmotif of the story is the dualism of man, what is surprising in “Hit Man” is the lack of morals, redemption of sins, and none of the characters is judged for their actions. Linklater’s “Dazed and Confused” was a record of its times, an almost anthropological observation of a group of young people who have no specific goal. “Hit Man”, in turn, is a record of a man’s internal struggle, the outcome of which no one judges.

Linklater’s latest work excites, contradicts our sense of morality, plays with contrasts and truly relaxes. It’s a neat combination of comedy, action, thriller and noir, which in reality turns out to be just a story about a strange love and brings to mind the story known from the films “Bonnie and Clyde” and “Get Out”. However, here the rules are exaggerated comedy plot and stereotyping of the characters, which surprisingly does not deprive them of their authenticity due to the problems they struggle with. At the same time, we laugh at the behaviors we see on screen, we consider them irrational, and on the other hand, we find it difficult to judge them even when clearly immoral things happen. If you are looking for something not stupid, but light and extremely relaxing, go to the cinema. “Hit Man” can be seen on the big screen in Poland from May 17.