This fall’s film festivals have seen a plethora of hitman-themed movies. You could almost imagine them arranged on a rooftop, each assassin with their sniper rifles trained on the audience: From David Fincher’s The Killer to Michael Keaton’s Knox Goes Away and Harmony Korine’s Aggro Dr1ft. The list also features Hit Man, starring Glen Powell.
In Richard Linklater’s Hit Man, Glen Powell takes on the role of Gary Johnson, a living person who collaborated with law enforcement. Johnson operated as a faux hitman in sting operations, targeting individuals seeking to hire someone for nefarious deeds.
Glen Powell’s Film Failed To Get A Distributor
Having made appearances at both the Venice and Toronto festivals, the movie serves as a highly enjoyable platform for Glen Powell, known for his role in Top Gun: Maverick. Powell, who co-authored the screenplay alongside Linklater, shines brightly in this film.
For Richard Linklater, the director renowned for works like Boyhood, Dazed and Confused, and Before Sunset, Hit Man represents his customary existentialist approach, albeit ingeniously blended into a genre-defying, noir-infused screwball narrative. Notably, Linklater embarked on this project without a distribution deal in place. As Hit Man is up for sale at TIFF, its reception suggests it could potentially become the festival’s most sought-after property.
Linklater told ABC News:
“It used to be the head of studio would sit down with you, talk, maybe say, ‘I think you’ve got the movie in you. Let’s do it.’ Now, they don’t even want to hear from you. You’re up against algorithms and marketing in advance. So it was kind of great to go: ‘Let’s just make the movie and bet on ourselves.'”
The movie delves into Gary Johnson’s real-life narrative and playfully weaves a tale around it. As the character becomes entangled in his make-believe hitman persona, he adopts increasingly vibrant identities, ultimately confronting a complex quandary of self-identity when he becomes enamored with a wife (Adria Arjona) who desires her husband’s demise.
What’s more interesting is that the film has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which none of Tom Cruise’s films has ever achieved.
Glen Powell Took Sylvester Stallone’s Advice Seriously
In the movie Sand Castle, Glen Powell immerses himself in the role of an exuberant and deeply patriotic Texan soldier, leaving no stone unturned to authentically inhabit the character. Powell underwent a remarkable physical transformation to attain the desired physique, packing on an impressive 20 pounds in just a span of three weeks.
He achieved this remarkable feat by meticulously ingesting substantial quantities of protein powder, to the extent that he needed an entire suitcase to store his supply. Intriguingly, Powell had the privilege of receiving valuable counsel from Sylvester Stallone during their collaboration on the set of The Expendables 3 back in 2014. Stallone’s advice proved instrumental in Powell’s effective weight gain preparation for the role.
Source: ABC News
