Hit Man: Will “Blow You Away”

This is my favorite movie of 2024!  It's MUST-SEE!  The film is one of the most original, complex, rom-com/noir thriller movies that I have ever seen.  The screenplay writers, Richard Linklater and lead actor Glen Powell, have written a brilliant one!  The movie is deceptively simple, but there's much more going on here than meets the eye.  It's also "loosely based" on a true story. Gary Johnson, played by Glen Powell, is a psychology professor at a New Orleans university.  To supplement his income, Gary helps the police to plant bugs and assists them with other technical duties.  He is on a police team that arrests people who want to hire a hitman. The policeman on the team who pretends to be a hitman, Jasper (Austin Amelio), gets suspended for three months for violent behavior, so Gary fills in for him.  It turns out Gary is fantastic and much better at playing a hitman than Jasper.  Gary researches the people reaching out for a hitman and becomes the person he thinks will get them to pay him the money, so the arrest can be made.  Powell is great playing these short scenes as a hitman and demonstrates what a fine actor his is.  (I think he even deserves an AA nomination, but this role won't be weighty enough for him to be considered.) Everything is going fine until Madison (Adria Arjona) wants to hire a hitman to knock off her abusive husband.  At a meeting in a diner, Gary takes on the persona of "Ron" the hitman.  Madison is beautiful and he is charmed by her, so he talks her out of it.  A while later, they meet again.  (I should add that Arjona is beyond hot and ranks as a 10+ on my "sexometer!") What makes this movie great is that, unlike your typical rom-com, you have no idea where it is headed or how it will wind up.  The chemistry between Powell and Arjona is as good as it gets.  The film has depth and elaborates on the issue of whether or not people can change.  There's also considerable suspense, since it's a noir thriller too! If you don't have Netflix (because you live on Mars), then I strongly suggest that you order it for a month to see "Hitman!"