Netflix may have just scored one of the best movies of the year — a big win for one of the best streaming services.
Hit Man, a darling of the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals, just got picked up by the streaming service for a global release. According to Deadline Hollywood, the action comedy film will be available on Netflix in the U.S., U.K., Australia, New Zealand, India, South Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, and Iceland. Some form of a theatrical release is also expected.
But you’re probably wondering, "Why should I watch this?" Well, aside from a lot of positive buzz from critics, the story sounds like Hollywood gold. Hit Man is based on a true crime story about a hitman Gary Johnson (Glen Powell), who leads a double life — as a staff investigator for the Harris County district attorney’s office.
Yes, this killer-for-hire works with the police when he’s not out murdering people for money.
Sold on Hit Man already? Here’s everything you need about Netflix’s next hit movie, from its potential release date, cast, early reviews and more.
Hit Man release date speculation
Hit Man has already debuted for select audiences. The film got its international debut at the Venice International Film Festival on September 5 and then followed it up with screenings at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Netflix bought the distribution rights.
But for most audiences, you’re going to have to wait. Netflix says Hit Man is “coming soon to Netflix in the US and select countries,” which likely includes the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, India, South Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, and Iceland based on Deadline’s report.
As previously mentioned, it’s also expected that Hit Man will get a theatrical release as well, though details on that are still unknown at this time.
As for the potential Netflix release date, Hit Man is clearly a title that the streamer hopes to trot out during awards season. That means it will probably drop in November or December.
Hit Man cast
Aside from Glen Powell, who not only stars as Gary Johnson but also co-wrote Hit Man with director Richard Linklater, the other main character appears to be Maddy Masters, played by Adria Arjona. Maddy is fleeing her abusive husband Ray (Evan Holtzman) and eventually causes Johnson to upend his double life in order to protect her.
Here is the full cast of Hit Man:
- Glen Powell as Gary Johnson, hitman and investigator
- Adria Arjona as Maddy Masters, a woman fleeing her abusive husband and Gary’s love interest
- Austin Amelio as Jasper, an undercover cop
- Retta as an unnamed police officer, she works with Gary in his role as an investigator
- Sanjay Rao as an unnamed police officer, he also works with Gary in his role as an investigator
- Evan Holtzman as Ray Masters, Maddy's husband
- Molly Bernard in an unnamed role
- Mike Markoff in an unnamed role
Hit Man reviews
Because Hit Man already debuted at both Venice and Toronto, there are a fair amount of reviews out already — and they’re really good. Out of 43 critical reviews, Hit Man currently has a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and seems destined to be “Certified Fresh.”
In his review, Rafael Motamayor of IGN calls Hit Man “a tour de force performance by Glen Powell and a sharp script.” He also calls it “one of the most entertaining movies of the year,” and the real takeaway seems to be that Hit Man should be a star-making performance for Powell, who was already ascendant from his performance as Hangman in Top Gun: Maverick.
Other critics praise Powell and Hit Man’s script. Ben Croll of TheWrap says that Hit Man is “a deliriously entertaining star vehicle” and Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com praises Linklater’s writing and direction in equal measure, and calls Powell’s performance “a revelation.” Hit Man may not ultimately become the next Citizen Kane, but it seems almost everyone has come away loving it — and loving Powell in particular.
There is one lone poor review preventing Hit Man from achieving a perfect 100%. In their recap of the Toronto International Film Festival for Autostraddle, Drew Gregory says that Hit Man missed the mark in how it chose to retell this true crime story. While this is a valid opinion to have, after reading the review, I found that Gregory sort of lost the plot at times. For starters, reviewing a comedy that is billed as a comedy as the drama you really wanted feels a bit intellectually dishonest. They also frequently attack the film for its “toxic liberal politic” a criticism that seems noticeably absent from any other critique of Hit Man.
I personally have yet to see the film, as I attended neither festival, but after combing through the early reviews I side with the overall critical consensus. Come to Hit Man for a brilliant comedy and a star-making performance from Glen Powell. Just enjoy it for what it is — I know I will be.
