How to Make a Killing review

HOW TO MAKE A KILLING: 

GLEN POWELL CHARMS AND KILLS AND IS EXCELLENT AT BOTH!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

A24

Glen Powell in How to Make a Killing

 

            Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick, Twisters, Hit Man) brings his charm to a more devious role in How to Make a Killing, a new black-comedy film from A24 and director John Patton Ford (Emily the Criminal). I was onboard for this movie when I first saw the trailer. I think Glen Powell is one of the most charismatic actors working today, and I have enjoyed him in various movies, even the recent version of The Running Man. I realized I’m one of the few people who actually really liked his Running Man film. 

            So, his first venture into A24 filmmaking caught my interest regardless of how it turns out, and this might be a hot take, judging by critical reactions to it, I dug the hell out of this movie. I was very entertained by How to Make a Killing and found it incredibly funny and a consistently wild ride, maybe not quite Marty Supreme or Uncut Gems, Safdie Brothers chaos, but I was laughing and on the edge of my seat during my viewing. 

            The film follows blue-collar Becket Redfellow (Powell), who was disowned at birth by his wealthy family and is now determined to reclaim his inheritance. How? By murdering his relatives while outsmarting an FBI detective who’s investigating the Redfellow murders, and his childhood friend Julia (Margaret Qualley-Drive-Away Dolls, The Substance, Blue Moon) coming back into his life. 

            The film also stars Jessica Henwick (The Matrix Resurrections, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Cuckoo) as Becket’s girlfriend Ruth, Bill Camp (Lincoln, 12 Years a Slave, Molly’s Game) as Warren Redfellow, Zach Woods (The Office, Silicon Valley, The Afterparty) as Noah Redfellow, Topher Grace (That 70s Show, Spider-Man 3, BlacKkKlansman) as Pastor Steven J. Redfellow, Ed Harris (Apollo 13, A History of Violence, Top Gun: Maverick) as Whitelaw Redfellow, Bianca Amato (Isidingo, The River, The Kissing Booth 3) as Cassandra Redfellow, Raff Law (Twist, Masters of the Air, Kill Jackie) as Taylor Redfellow, Sean Cameron Michael (24: Redemption, Lost Boys: The Thirst, Black Sails) as McArthur Redfellow, and James Frecheville (Adoration, The Drop, Masters of the Air) as Lyle. 

            Overall, How to Make a Killing is gleefully twisted fun with a pitch-perfect Glen Powell guiding the way. He really is what makes the movie work because even though he’s killing off his relatives to claim the family fortune, he is very charming, and you do understand his motives to the point where you root for him. 

            It works in a similar way to Dexter, where you end up rooting for the killer, and his victims are complete douchebags. Ultimately, I did want him to get his long-overdue money, even if he was essentially murdering his estranged wealthy family one by one. 

            The movie also starts with him in a prison cell talking to a priest and telling the entire events of the film to this priest, which is a brilliant hook for the movie and makes you think, “Okay, something is going to go south that will land him in prison, what is it, and when/how does it happen?”. Yeah, it does that whole “You’re probably wondering how I got here” trope, but I think it works well in this type of film, and Powell narrating does add a lot. 

            Margaret Qualley is a standout as this femme fatale-like character who starts off as Powell’s childhood friend and then becomes more integral to the plot as it goes on. I found the banter between her and Powell to be very funny, especially when you start to realize what she actually wants from him. 

            The dark comedy is quite funny, with most of it coming from Glen Powell and his inventive and outlandish ways of axing off his family members. The very first time he kills a relative is so quick and anticlimactic made me laugh hard, and every time it quickly cuts to a character’s funeral after a death. 

            The film’s humor is definitely not for everyone, and I can easily see this type of dark comedy not being someone’s cup of tea, but if you know what you’re getting into and like dark humor, you should get some laughs. Maybe that’s why the reactions for this film are so mixed, which I guess is fair because of how subjective comedy is, especially dark comedy. 

            Yeah, I quite enjoyed How to Make a Killing and will gladly put it among my favorite Glen Powell films. It’s bursting with charisma, dark humor, and tightly written dialogue. I should stress, your enjoyment of this film will depend on your tolerance of very dark humor and a main character who’s essentially committing murder, for me, though, it was a hoot and a crazy ride.