Hitman Review

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.

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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.

All music licensed through Epidemic Sound.

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