Glen Powell's new movie debuts with 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating
Hit Man starring Glen Powell is the latest project to come out of the Venice Film Festival.
Directed by Richard Linklater (School of Rock), this action-comedy caper finds Top Gun: Maverick's Powell in the shoes of college professor Gary Johnson, who moonlights as an undercover policeman entrapping those who wish to hire an assassin.
Following its world premiere – alongside David Fincher's coincidentally similarly-focussed The Killer – Powell's movie has cracked the prestigious '100% Club' on Rotten Tomatoes.
Related: Top Gun: Maverick star initially disliked his role
15 reviews have been published at the time of writing, which we've condensed below to offer a taste of what to expect from Hit Man.
"Comfortably Linklater's best movie since Boyhood, Hit Man stands alongside School of Rock for big laughs and good vibes – albeit with a darker streak that slowly kicks in. It reminded me a little of Office Space – and there's no higher praise than that."
"Richard Linklater's latest is a jaunty action comedy that spins its machine-tooled high concept like a bicycle wheel – sometimes with shrewd intent, sometimes for pure fun. In the hands of a lesser director, Hit Man would surely have felt rather thin and disposable. But Linklater is a pro, and he manages to make the film's fripperies feel borderline profound."
"The film has a screwball zing to the pacing that seems grounded, like so many of Linklater's movies, in a depthless affection for actors. The performances are framed so lovingly, from the leads right down to every petty criminal and background artist, that the craftsmanship becomes barely noticeable — just a delivery vehicle for a cracking tall(ish) tale."
HIT MAN World Premiere just announced…Venice Film Festival 23! AGC & Director Richard Linklater’s hot new action comedy, starring Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Retta, Austin Amelio & Molly Bernard makes its debut as an Official Selection at @labiennale. #AGCstudios #Hitmanmovie pic.twitter.com/MwjC0L6DN6
— AGC Studios (@weareAGCstudios) July 26, 2023
Related: Top Gun: Maverick star lands next movie role in Twister sequel
"Hit Man truly is a breath of fresh air; that rare film that manages to nail the perfect combination of a charismatic lead, sharp script, and a murky undercurrent of darkness. It's a genuinely riotous time at the cinema and concrete proof Powell is perhaps our brightest hope when it comes to keeping the notion of the movie star alive."
"Funny, sexy, and smart, Richard Linklater's rom-com-with-guns plays like an update of Mr & Mrs Smith and confirms the star wattage of always-the-bridesmaid Glen Powell."
"Hit Man is determined to be fun above all else, and it largely succeeds in that honourable, populist mission. It entertains, and generously pushes two game performers closer toward the movie-star pantheon."
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