Hitman Review

06/14/24 • 62 min

Glen Powell’s having a great year. He arguably entered the movie star chat with 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick (in which he played Hangman), but this year alone he has had/will have three big releases. Despite middling reviews, Anyone But You, Powell’s rom com with Sydney Sweeney did exceedingly well at the box office this past winter. Looking ahead, Powell will star in a sequel to the 1996 disaster film Twister. (And yes, it’s called Twisters.) The trailers and press for that film indicate that if the film is a hit, it could launch Powell into a new level of stardom.

The third film and subject of our review, Hitman, is one that just dropped on Netflix as it winds down its brief theatrical run. Directed by Oscar-nominated Richard Linklater, the dark romantic comedy premiered last fall at The Venice Film Festival, to very positive reviews that have only grown in number and intensity since. Powell co-stars with Adria Arjona, who most viewers would recognize as Bix in the Star Wars Disney+ series, Andor. She plays Madison, a troubled woman in an abusive relationship looking for a way out. Powell plays Gary, a psychology professor who moonlights as an undercover agent for the New Orleans Police Department.

In this episode of The Long Take Review, Greg, P.T., and I discuss the palpable on-screen chemistry between Powell and Arjona, weigh in on how the film represents academics, play a “name that genre” game, and just generally revel in the good time that is Hitman.

You can listen to The Long Take Review on Substack, Spotify, Apple, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Image Credit: Netflix

The Short Take Our overall impressions of Hitman. 3:32

The Recommendation Algorithm To whom do we recommend Hitman? What genres do we see Linklater playing around with? (Spoiler: there are many). 10:19

SPOILER MODE What did we think about the twists and turns in the plot? What do we think is Linklater’s “thesis” and what do we think about that thesis? 19:41

The Rhetorical Situation How does this film represent “our kind” (a.k.a. professors)? What value does the invocation of academic research and concepts add to the story? How is the main character, Gary, an expert in rhetoric and composition? What does this movie have in common with The Good Place? 32:53

Oscars Watch In a quieter year, does Hitman have a sharper shot at the Oscars? 52:46

Notes:

P.T. mentions the acronym NTT. That stands for “non-tenure track,” used to describe a professor whose position does not allow (or expect) them to publish and go up for tenure. We also use the term “adjunct” which refers to a part time faculty member who has been hired to teach courses but is not considered a full time employee/member of a department.

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Logo art: Illustration 73265080 © Worldofvector | Dreamstime.com

Get full access to The Long Take at thelongtake.substack.com/subscribe

You can listen to The Long Take Review on Substack, Spotify, Apple, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Image Credit: Netflix

The Short Take Our overall impressions of Hitman. 3:32

The Recommendation Algorithm To whom do we recommend Hitman? What genres do we see Linklater playing around with? (Spoiler: there are many). 10:19

SPOILER MODE What did we think about the twists and turns in the plot? What do we think is Linklater’s “thesis” and what do we think about that thesis? 19:41

Oscars Watch In a quieter year, does Hitman have a sharper shot at the Oscars? 52:46

Notes:

All music licensed through Epidemic Sound.

Logo art: Illustration 73265080 © Worldofvector | Dreamstime.com

Get full access to The Long Take at thelongtake.substack.com/subscribe

Previous Episode

Godzilla Minus One Review

Godzilla Minus One is finally back! On June 1st, without much warning, the acclaimed film finally became available to watch at home on Netflix. Obviously we had to scramble to squeeze in a review as soon as we could.

Back in December of 2023, Godzilla Minus One, produced by Toho, the Japanese studio from which the character originated, quietly came out in theaters in U.S., yet blew up in cinephile and pop culture circles very quickly. Passion for the film grew and grew, yet Oscar pundits weren’t sure if it was enough to garner any nominations for the WWII epic. To the delight of many, the film landed in the Visual Effects category, and went on to win, beating out big blockbusters with budgets that were several times larger than its modest $10 million, according to Deadline.

By the time that happened, however, no one could actually see the movie, as Toho had agreed to leave theaters by February 1st in order to make room for the much less praised American franchise film, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. We’re delighted that those who missed it the first time around can see it now.

Takashi Yamazaki’s film follows a kamikaze pilot named Kōichi Shikishima as he miraculously survives the end of WWII and struggles to rebuild his life and home alongside the rest of Tokyo. As if that weren’t difficult enough, a mysterious, powerful creature emerges from the ocean to terrorize the city. How will Shikishima defend his new family and friends while also confronting his wartime guilt and trauma?

In this episode of The Long Take Review, Greg, P.T., and I discuss how dazzling the answer to that question is. In doing so, we attempt to explain how this film capitalizes on all a monster movie genre can do, contemplate how important it is that we have a Godzilla film and a WWII film told from a Japanese perspective, dissect the social and political themes, and, of course, gush over the visuals.

You can listen to The Long Take Review on Substack, Spotify, Apple, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Image Credit: The New York Times

The Short Take Our overall impressions of Godzilla Minus One. 4:00

The Recommendation Algorithm Do you have to care about Godzilla to enjoy this movie? What other genres or past films might be a good indicator that someone will like this one? 14:00

SPOILER MODE What does Godzilla represent thematically? Why is the story so rich and impactful? How does the film engage with history? 19:00

The Rhetorical Situation How does Godzilla Minus One engage with and influence the monster movie genre? What can it achieve because of the monster movie genre? To conclude, Greg gets on his soapbox about corporations undermining moviegoing. 40:31

Oscars Watch Godzilla Minus One won an Oscar this year for Visual Effects. Should it have won anything else? 59:00

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Logo art: Illustration 73265080 © Worldofvector | Dreamstime.com

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Next Episode

Inside Out 2 Review

When Inside Out came out in 2015, critics and fans showered it with praise for its innovative storytelling, as it translated a series of basic human emotions — joy, sadness, anger, fear, and disgust — into lovable characters who work in an elaborate visualization of the human mind. It was a commercial hit and an award-winning film. It seemed then like Pixar could do no wrong; little did critics know that from that point forward Pixar would steadily decline, losing its apex position in the animation industry.

Much to everyone’s surprise in the face of such a downturn, Inside Out 2 has been a smash, positioned as the savior of the summer box office. What does that tell us about what audiences want? Pandering to our IP nostalgia? More sophisticated animated features for children? Or just a general desperation for any movies for families, regardless of the quality?

In this episode of The Long Take Review, Greg and I speculate some answers to those questions, as well as why this film, while good, doesn’t quite reach the heights of the original. We discuss how the film tries to level up its representation of emotions, revel in the parts we laughed at most, assess the new characters and voice performances, and share how our own kids responded to the film.

You can listen to The Long Take Review on Substack, Spotify, Apple, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Image Credit: IndieWire

Movie News Update We react to Sony’s purchase of the Alamo Drafthouse. 4:30

The Short Take Our overall impressions of Inside Out 2. 12:25

The Recommendation Algorithm How does Inside Out 2 handle kids in the audience vs. adults? 23:31

SPOILER MODE What new ideas does this sequel introduce and why doesn’t it quite reach the heights of the original? What made us laugh? Who are our favorite new characters? 30:17

The Rhetorical Situation How does this film impact the Pixar discourse? Is Pixar “back”? And what is the larger cultural impact of the “pop psychology” used in the Inside Out films? 1:03:18

Oscars Watch We check in with the animated feature race and debate whether or not Inside Out 2 will have a spot in the line-up. 1:28:56

Notes:

Jen wants it on record that while she did not like Morbius and has not yet seen Madame Web, she does enjoy the Venom movies.

Greg had trouble getting names exactly right in this episode. He says Jane Squibb when he means June Squibb and says Lord and Mitchell when he means Lord and Miller. Jen can attest that he does actually know these names.

Greg alludes to Jen having visited the Pixar campus, but Jen never had a chance to explain. A friend of hers from high school used to work at Pixar, and so Jen would visit him at work. She actually saw Tropic Thunder in the Pixar theater. Shoutout to Najeeb Tarazi, who is now a prolific (and talented!) independent director.

During Oscars Watch, Greg sends Jen into a panic about how Aardman Studios only has enough clay to make one more movie. He later discovered that they reassured everyone that they will be fine.

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