So many things in Hit Man look like other things. The directorial approach that Richard Linklater takes feels like something that mixes Quentin Tarantino with Guy Richie. The lead man, Glen Powell, feels a lot like young Tom Cruise. The lead female character, Adria Arjona, is reminiscent of the young Penelope Cruise. Thanks to that, from the start, Hit Man works as something you feel you saw time and time again in the past.
Its story, which focuses on a professor-turned-fake-hitman working for the New Orelans PD, is ultimately a “fish out of water” tale, but it too slowly slides into Donny Brasco territory. Wherever this movie and its complete cast turn, there is already something there that pretty much did it in the same way, likely a bit better as well.
That is not to say that the film is not engaging and manages, especially in the start, to grip the audience’s attention. The main problems arise at the halfway point, when the novelty wears off and too many similarities begin to pile up. Linklater is a brilliant veteran director, but even he didn’t manage to steer clear the film away from all of the copycat pitfalls. Unfortunately, the film ultimately rams straight into most of them.
