Hit Man (2023): All’s Fair in Love and War
Guest writer Henrique Bravo reviews the Glen Powell-starrer Hit Man (2023), and explores how it is more than just a rom-com, but also a giant lecture on the philosophy of life.
Richard Linklater, of the famed Before Sunrise (1985), School of Rock (2003), and Boyhood (2014), returned with Hit Man in 2023. Linklater has a diverse oeuvre, with many of his movies, on the surface, not appearing to have much in common—ranging from romances, to teenage dramas, to a coming-of-age animated movie, and now, an action spy movie. In one way or another, his movies try to capture a moment in time, evoking strong feelings and emotions, nostalgia being a favourite. Boyhood and Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood (2022) are great examples of movies that seem to get you thinking of the past and your own childhood. School of Rock oozes with the nostalgia of the classroom-setting, while the Before trilogy oozes with the melancholic nostalgia of love. Not Hit Man, however; it seems to be just about pure cinematic enjoyment, no strings (or feelings) attached.
Glen Powell plays the lead role as a philosophy university professor (Gary) who is also contracted by the local police to act as a hit man. Only act. The police are trying to catch wanna-be-murderers by getting them to confess their intent of murder, and it just so happens that Gary has a knack for embodying the right hit man for the right customer. We see all kinds of personas/hitmen impersonated by Gary, and this is where Powell gives us a bit of an insight into his acting prowess. From gangster, to factory worker, to redneck, to Russian killer (complete with accent), to a Patrick Bateman impersonator, Gary plays all the necessary roles to get his clients to agree for the hitman to murder on their behalf. Arrests are through the roof and what started as a temporary gig becomes more permanent than initially envisioned. Until a new potential customer comes along and threatens to derail things for Gary. Madison (Adria Arjona) tries to hire Gary to murder her controlling husband. It’s emancipation time for Madison, one that comes at a hefty cost. Madison gives Gary, and us, all the reasons why she wants to get rid of her husband, and we can’t help but agree with her; he sounds like a horrible human being, and it’s high time for women to have their freedom from controlling husbands. But she’s showing doubts and this is where Gary the philosophy professor (now Ron the contract killer) acts against his moral principles and persuades Madison not to hire him. Through a back-and-forth of cat puns during their first encounter, we get to witness a pretty purrfect first unofficial date. Possible romantic interest clouding his judgement, I hear you say? Absolutely!
As the romance evolves, Gary tries his best to navigate through the blurry lines of hit man/policeman professionalism. To help us viewers stay on course, and to justify many of Gary’s actions, the romantic scenes of the two lead characters are interspersed with philosophy lectures and speeches on morals, ethics, and criminal justice. Gary’s lectures to his students and his testimonies in court change the flow of the movie and to give us another view of what seemed set in stone: if someone tries to kill someone else (even if through a proxy), they should be convicted of attempted murder. The majority of people who approach Gary want to get rid of a loved one, and as our beloved hit man so eloquently put: “Love has curdled into hate and murder is just the best way out”. And whilst this comes across as cynical, we are inclined to agree based on the characters and examples that we are shown. But this is where some of these lecture and testimony scenes play a pivotal role in changing our minds, or at least making us question things: Maybe life isn’t so simple? Maybe some people deserve a second chance? I personally strongly believe so; I just don’t know in which cases I would award that second chance, and in which ones I wouldn’t. And soon enough, Gary is faced with having to make that exact difficult choice, when Madison goes out on a limb and kills her husband.
What is the philosophy professor supposed to do when faced with the impossible choice between love and the law? Will he give Madison a second chance? Where will his moral compass point towards? Well, as it turns out, to another murder. Gary might also be off the rails, and there’s no stopping him. Whilst this is unexpected at first, there was also no better way of finishing the movie, because as Gary kept telling his students, life is about finding and holding on to the version of yourself that you like/want, and reinventing yourself in the process. Some of the speeches and conversations we see on this topic were on the cringing side, reminding me too much of Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, where the main character can achieve anything he sets his mind to, as long as he truly believes in it. There’s a hint of beauty in that thought, but I don’t buy it. I think that people can change and reinvent themselves, but it will take a bit more than just believing one can do it or flipping through a deck of cards and picking the personality you want; some hard work needs to be put into it, which doesn’t really come across in the movie. What did come across instead was the (apparently easy) reinvention of Madison’s character, becoming an emancipated woman, free of her husband and his shackles, and exploring her interests, passions and sexuality in the process. Gary went through a similar process, but with a very different approach: trying on different roles when acting as a hit man, almost as if putting on different sets of clothes. He eventually finds the character he believes is more himself when he landed on Ron, a version that he keeps returning to. And so, throughout the movie, our characters embark on a journey of self-discovery, reinventing themselves, and killing a person or two along the way. Was it worth it? Is this what we should also be striving for (murder aside)? Absolutely; it will probably take more than 2 hours, closer to a lifetime, but the process is definitely worth it.
When I chose to watch this movie, I was expecting a rom-com mashed up with some action and even some mystery thrown into the mix. I was expecting, or more hoping, to get a light-hearted movie with some hints of Murder Mystery (2019), but with some actual funny moments and with two lead characters that have chemistry. Maybe a Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) with less special effects but an equal amount of sexiness and sass? In the end, I got a bit of everything I wished for, and partly based on a true story as well (minus the murders), incredible! This is not a movie that will change history, but it is not one of just pure entertainment either. My initial judgement of Linklater’s newest movie might have been a bit rushed, because this is a movie that despite being entertaining, also makes you reevaluate what’s right and wrong, throwing different scenarios at the audience, and then asking again whether that’s acceptable or not. Is killing someone (or trying to) acceptable? Should people be given a second chance? According to our dear university professor, not only is the context important, but we humans have been murdering each other for thousands of years, weeding out destabilising forces and shaping our social evolution through murder in the process. The movie also challenges the notion of self (the main character is a philosophy professor after all) and whether thy should embark on a journey of self-discovery to change thyself. This aspect was personally less interesting because it felt less relatable and too on the nose, but don’t let me discourage you from watching it and believing that your own version of Gary/Ron is just around the corner. Give it a shot, even if it takes you the rest of your life.