‘Hit Man’ Is Based on the Wild True Story of a Real-Life Fake Killer

The big picture

• Hit Man
  is a film based on a true story about an undercover cop posing as a contract killer.
• The protagonist, Gary Johnson, is a charismatic person skilled in persuasion, which led to dozens of arrests.
• The film reflects the absurdity of everyday life and examines the degradation of American ideals through the morally unjustifiable motivations of customers.

Richard Linklater's latest movie, Hit Manis one of the most anticipated films in the 2024 film calendar. Now on Netflix, the film will be a staple for one of Hollywood's rising megastars. Glen Powellwho is not only the star of Hit Man, but also Linklater's co-writer. Powell and Linklater have previously collaborated on the adaptation Fast food nationthe coming of age baseball comedy, Everyone wants it!!!and the animated nostalgic look of the space race, Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood. Without even considering the venerable talent of the project, its seductive concept of an undercover police officer posing as a contract killer to arrest his employers serves as a solid backbone for a genre picture. Each of Linklater's films is a rich mix of comedy and drama. The writer-director's humanist narrative may clash with the film's extravagant plot synopsis. Despite this, Hit Man is far from a weird story as it is based on a wild true story.

Richard Linklater and Glen Powell adapt a true story from their home state

Linklater's film, which has received rave reviews since its premiere at the 2023 Venice International Film Festival, follows Gary Johnson (Powell), a community college professor turned technology specialist turned undercover police officer who poses as a contract killer to arrest those who try to hire him. Like all the best fictional killers, he is devoid of sentimentality towards his clients. That is, until he meets a woman, Maddy Masters (Adria Arjona), abused by her husband. Complicating his calculated professionalism, Johnson, who is attracted to Maddy, he vows to free her from this toxic relationship.

Hit Man is adapted from a true story documented by Texas Monthly in 2001. The article of the same name was written by Skip Hollandsworthwhose work served as the basis for another dark comedy/docudrama by Linklater, Bernie. That movie, starring Jack Black as a popular undertaker convicted of murder, he adapts an absurd story and infuses it with Linklater's natural humanism and sharp commentary on Texas culture. A Lone Star native, Linklater is in Texas what Martin Scorsese i Spike Lee they are in New York City. He admires his education, but his films actively examine the codes of society and the expectations generated by its people. As a Texas reporter and editor, Hollandsworth complements the director perfectly, as both have a human interest in the quirks of everyday life.

'Hit Man' is based on the story of an undercover contract killer in Texas

“Hit Man” narrates the arrest procedure of people who request contract killers. When the police receive a tip from a person who is looking for someone to kill, they send Gary Johnson to meet this “client”. If they can elicit a confession from the client that they want to kill a specific person, the police have grounds for an arrest. Hollandsworth's extensive history is thoroughly researched and studied. Through a magazine article, the reader understands the impenetrable psychology of Gary Johnson, a real game of everything. It may seem implausible that one person could have arranged more than 60 arrests of people requesting a professional hitman without his cover ever being compromised, but Hollandsworth underlines the charisma with which Johnson carried himself during each session with a “client.” Without breaking a sweat, Johnson persuaded people that they should land a hit on a target, usually an unfaithful lover or a jealous rival. Once the suspect orders the attack, the police subsequently arrest the prosecutor.

Johnson is an inscrutable man. His mysterious aura makes him the ideal contract killer simulacrum: a true human chameleon able to adapt to his surroundings. Hollandsworth characterizes the hitman as your average, mild-mannered individual who no one bats an eye at, and writes that he would mistake him for just a “low-level employee” in the district attorney's office. He lives a precise and demanding lifestyle that sees him eat lunch at the same establishment every day. Contrary to the tough persona expected of a killer, Johnson listens to classical music and audiobooks in the car. The understated lifestyle and dichotomy between upper-class taste and lower-class work is invoked by the most notable fictional professional assassinsincluding the lone assassin Jean-Pierre Melville's The Samurai, Tom Cruisejazz-loving nihilist Lateral collari Michael Fassbenderthe emotionless hunter The killer.

Beneath his face as an unassuming college professor, Johnson has it profound meditations on the state of modern life at the turn of the century. In America's hyper-consumerist economy, Johnson isn't at all surprised that people are looking for quick fixes to their problems. “Today people can pay to fix their TVs and pick up their trash, so why can't they pay me, a hitman, to fix their lives?” Johnson reflected. The fake killer remarked that the precariousness of the economy drove the desire for drastic measures. “When it starts to go bad … everybody gets a little bit crazier and starts thinking about bringing somebody else down,” he said.

The absurdity of the Texas Monthly the article is a byproduct of the angst of the prevailing middle class at the turn of the century–Extensively expressed commentary on the 1999 films, incl fight club i Office space. In Johnson's trade, people with relatively innocuous problems go to the absolute extreme of hiring a contract killer. For people skeptical of Richard Linklater's ability to tell a story about the criminal underworld in his next film, don't worry. According to Johnson, the vast majority of his clients were not ex-contractors. They were upstanding citizens who never even got a speeding ticket. The ease with which individuals belonging to a civilized world take such drastic measures speaks to the degradation of idealistic America. As Hollandsworth says, Johnson's meetings with clients where they asked for hits “textbook studies of the banality of evil.” Clients' motivations for calling on the undercover hitman's services were not morally justifiable, as most cases involved suspected adultery, frustration with employers, or custody disputes. Most puzzling of all is that although Johnson began to attract media attention The Houston Chroniclewith stories emblazoned with Johnson's name and quotes, customers never slowed down. The demand for murder was so high.

Gary Johnson of 'Hit Man' in real life was a charismatic star

Gary Johnson's defining trait, the skill that allowed him to excel in the unique position of orchestrating bark operations at contract killer lawyers, was his persuasiveness. Despite his friendly attitude, Johnson's charisma knew no bounds.His infectious personality had clients calling for the assassination of a respective target without fail. Johnson's shrewd persuasion flirted at times with blatant manipulation. A lawyer or judge might reasonably object to some of his sly tactics to elicit a confession. Ultimately, the only charge a prosecutor could give Johnson is to be the world's most compelling actor. In the world of covert research, Johnson is Laurence Olivier, as Hollandsworth says. A Johnson supervisor said: “Gary is a great performer who can become whatever he needs to be in whatever situation you find yourself in.” It would adapt to the client's circumstances by altering their wardrobe or personality.

The anticipation for Hit Man it extends beyond the main talent involved in the film. Not only is the film based on a surreal true story, but Gary Johnson's life is the perfect analogue for cinema. He lived on deception, which is the heart of the filmmaking process. Omit Hollandsworth's story Texas Monthly centers around a man who uses charm to achieve his goals. Among the field of active movie stars, how many are more charming than Glen Powell? The actor is ready to make the jump to superstardom, and this upcoming Richard Linklater film is sure to elevate him to a household name.

Hit Man is available to watch on Netflix in the United States

Watch on Netflix