Institute History
Description
A strait-laced professor discovers his hidden talent as a fake hit man. He meets his match in a client who steals his heart and ignites a powder keg of deception, delight, and mixed-up identities. Inspired by an unbelievable true story.
In Richard Linklater’s enjoyable comedy noir, Hit Man, which premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, Gary Johnson (Glen Powell) might at first seem like a geeky philosophy professor and he most certainly is one. But don’t be fooled by his scholarly appearance, quiet life, and cats named Id and Ego. There are many sides to Gary’s personality, thanks to Powell’s and Linklater’s witty script and arguably, the former’s most versatile and charming performance to date.
Gary’s shape-shifting life is turned upside down by a meet-cute with a damsel in distress. But just as with the character of Gary, under layers of physical comedy and goofy humor, Linklater plants questions about identity and self, as well as the idea that, to some extent, we are all performing our roles.—AT