Following its sadly-very-limited cinematic release earlier in the year, Hit Man finally arrived on Netflix last week – and it’s already made a big splash.
Not only did Hit Man quickly soar to the top of Netflix’s list of most-watched films here in the UK, it’s also been hugely well-received by both critics and viewers, with an audience score of 93% on the reviews site Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing.
Directed by Oscar winner Richard Linklater, the dark comedy stars Glen Powell and Adria Arjona as two love interests thrown together in the strangest of circumstances.
As Netflix puts it: “You know the story: Boy meets girl, boy advises girl not to kill her abusive husband, boy meets girl again, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back by killing a corrupt police officer.”
If you’re wondering whether this unique film is for you, here’s a selection of what the critics have been saying about it since its release…
The Guardian (4/5)
“For this thoroughly entertaining comedy thriller, Richard Linklater finds the distinctive and weirdly uncomplicated register of sunny geniality that he so often gives us [...] Hit Man comes close to fantasy and approaches screwball but keeps the realism. A hit is what it deserves to be.”
“To call this a star vehicle is like calling the Spruce Goose a commercial plane. A true-crime parable that morphs into a surprisingly steamy romantic comedy and doubles as a dark farce about conflict resolution and capitalism, this story of a beta discovering his inner alpha feels like it’s juggling a number of different genres and tones without breaking a sweat.”
Empire (4/5)
“It is with Hit Man that Powell announces himself as a movie star and a filmmaking force to be reckoned with. [He] achieves certified movie-star status and Adria Arjona shines in this slick, seductive romantic thriller.”
The Independent (4/5)
“Whenever Glen Powell leans in [...] he looks a little like his Top Gun: Maverick co-star, Tom Cruise. Or, at the very least, he exudes that same sense of concrete intent, performed with the easy confidence of flicking a cigarette butt across a dive bar floor. It’s said that franchise cinema killed the movie star. But Powell could certainly pass as one, and it’s all on display in Netflix’s Hit Man, which he co-wrote and produced.”
Digital Spy (4/5)
“Glen Powell, who has already starred in one of Netflix’s best rom-coms ever (Set It Up) and is now one of the most in-demand stars in Hollywood, displays a ridiculous amount of charisma in this new movie. It’s his best performance to date, as the Top Gun: Maverick actor embraces the mythical nature of the hit man through a story of crime, deception, sex and philosophical dilemmas.
“Following a critically-acclaimed journey through film festivals last year and after a limited two-week theatrical release, Hit Man is now officially the best Netflix movie of 2024.”
iNews (4/5)
“The Hit Man is an old-school crowd pleaser – a crime romp with a cast of idiosyncratic supporting characters and a lightness of touch that feels increasingly rare. The fizzy chemistry between Powell and Arjona, the palpable weirdness of Gary’s multiple-personality-shuffle, and the levity of this sexy, strange true story are all cinema gold.”
“Funny, sexy, surprising… this is what we used to call “a good time at the movies”. So it feels a shame that Hit Man is getting such a brief cinema release before it debuts on Netflix. But perhaps it will become such a palpable streaming hit that it inspires more movies in the same grown-up vein.”
NME (4/5)
“The crazier it gets, the further away from real-life events Hit Man goes, but that ceases to matter, as by this point you’re wrapped up in the snowballing story. Intriguingly, the screenplay is credited to Linklater and Powell, whose sensibilities dovetail perfectly here.”
The Times (4/5)
“Just as the long-running and frankly hoary hitman concept has reached the dead end of repetition in John Wick sequels, spin-offs and copycats, along comes Richard Linklater with an effervescent comedy that simultaneously thumbs its nose at the entire genre while making it new, thrilling and hugely entertaining again.”
“If Glen Powell’s not already a star, this picture might well make him one [...] Linklater’s gentle touch is his secret weapon, and Hit Man might be a masterpiece.”
“The whole thing really does rely on Powell whose starry ascent continues. The film is perfectly watchable. But Powell? He’s a hit, man.”
“Although he nicely conveys Johnson’s sort-of Hitchcockian dilemma, Powell, with his leading-man qualities, isn’t a completely natural fit as the sort of professorial type that would buttress this imposter role, which doesn’t make the movie less fun, just a bit more improbable until the story really kicks into gear.”
“Hit Man was a movie that got some breathless praise out of the fall film festivals, which might be to its detriment. It’s perfectly enjoyable: a glossy, easy-to-digest Powell showcase that isn’t trying to be anything but fun. But the second coming of the action-comedy-romance, it is not.”
“Richard Linklater’s Hit Man is one of the most generic and unsatisfying movies I’ve seen in a very long time. Linkletter—the director of films like Dazed and Confused, School Of Rock, Bad News Bears and numerous other pop culture touchstones—has released one of his rare duds in Netflix’s new comedy-noir -whatever this is supposed to be.”