Summary
Netflix’s Glen Powell star vehicleHit Manis a major success and the new hit has redeemed a surprisingly similar movie that arrived to little fanfare some 13 years ago. Richard Linklater has had an interesting career, to say the least. While fellow ‘90s independent directors like Gus Van Sant and Larry Clark largely turned their back on the mainstream, a look back onRichard Linklater’s best moviesproves that he never stopped moving between ambitious indie efforts and more accessible fare. For everySchool of Rockthat Linklater directed, there is a project likeA Scanner Darkly.
This makes thesuccess of Glen Powell’sHit Manall the more impressive. A dark romantic comedy co-written by Linklater and Powell,Hit Manadapts an article by journalist Skip Hollandsworth for the screen.Hit Mantells the story of Powell’s Gary Johnson, a tech specialist who goes undercover as a fake hitman for the New Orleans police. Gary’s work as a fake hitman eventually lands him in some real trouble when he falls for the latest target of a sting operation, a woman who needs protection. This sets upHit Man’s surprisingly sweet ending.
Glen Powell’s Hit Man Asks You To Do An Impossible Task For 33 Minutes
Glen Powell’s latest romantic comedy Hit Man is surprisingly his most versatile leading role yet, proving his ability to tackle transformative parts.
Hit Man Redeems Richard Linklater’s Similar 2011 Movie Bernie
Both Movies Are Based On Skip Hollandsworth’s Articles
WhenHit Manproved a huge critical success upon its release, the Linklater movie redeemed one of the director’s forgotten efforts. 2011’sBerniewas another dark comedy directed by Richard Linklater, also critically acclaimed for its dark sense of humor and offbeat view of Americana, and also based on an article by Skip Hollandsworth. Despite these similarities, it is perhaps not too shocking thatBerniedidn’t win over the mainstream audience thatHit Manenjoyed upon its Netflix release. After all,the Jack Black comedy concerned itself with a real-life elderly woman’s murder.
As wild as it may sound,Berniemanaged to wring a surprisingly funny, poignant movie out of the real-life story of Bernhardt Tiede. Tiede was a small-town mortician who murdered the elderly millionaire Marjorie Nugent but was defended by many inhabitants of his small town due to his affable manner and Nugent’s unpopularity within the community. WhileHit Man’s assassin storyis dark, the plot isn’t quite as grim asBernie’s shocking true story. Linklater gets a lot of guilty laughs fromBernie’s unlikely events, but the movie never resonated with audiences because its tone was a tough sell.
Why Bernie Was A $10 Million Box Office Bomb (Despite A Stellar Cast)
The Jack Black Vehicle Failed To Find An Audience
WhenBerniewas first announced, viewers might reasonably have assumed that the movie would be a raucous family comedy. After all, it was the first reunion of the director and star ofSchool of Rock. As such, the fact thatBernieinstead chronicled the true story of a man who murdered an elderly woman made it a tougher sell thanHit Man, despite how great the movie is.Berniefared well with critics, much likeHit Man’s stellar reviewsproved Linklater’s reliability. However,Berniecouldn’t replicateHit Man’s audience success, earning only a disappointing $10 million at the box office.
