"Hit Man" - Review

Gary Johnson (Glenn Powell) is a philosophy teacher at a university in New Orleans, with a strange side gig: he helps the police with undercover sting operations trapping those who attempt to hire hit men. When the usual impersonator Jasper (Austin Amelio) is suspended for brutalising 2 teenagers, Gary has to take his place at the last minute. Gary finds he's a natural at this, and begins to take to it. He finds himself playing "Ron", a direct and confident hitman, and his life improving as a result, especially when he meets Maddy (Adria Arjona) and finally gets a chance of love, but does she love "Ron" or Gary?

Very much a Richard Linklater film, he manages to get away with the use of street signs to display the character's state of mind, it feels like a wry and twisted take on the rom-com. Powell is an excellent lead, particularly off the back of "Anyone But You", and the scenes of him in disguises are as if "Fletch" were funny. He plays the 2 parts well, particularly when they blend together as one, and has natural comedic timing. Adria Arjona is making up for being in "Morbius" by actually having stuff to do in this, and taking to the dry humour well.
The 2nd act breakup is done with a little twist in the tale and turned on its head, as the whole film feels like they're filtering the classic romcom through an indie movie and an undercover cop thriller. The genre spins work well, and as for tone, when you await the turn and the card they play, it never feels too jarring, the dry and laid back tone work for it all to come together. Plus Retta from "Parks and Recreation" is in this, always welcome, and Amelio is a fun antagonistic cop character.