Rob Reviews "How to Make a Killing"

In 1907, Roy Horniman wrote Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal, which was turned into a movie in 1949 called Kind Hearts and Coronets and then a Tony Award-winning musical in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.  Sure, this sounds like the most complex Final Jeopardy clue ever, but that is what gets us to John Patton Ford’s How to Make a Killing.  His script was actually on the 2014 “Black List” which Hollywood does to recognize its most-liked scripts to get them more attention to get made.  The fact that this took so long to get made is kind of perplexing, but it is finally here.

Glen Powell (who doesn’t ever seem to take time off) plays Becket Redfellow, who works in a tailor’s shop in New Jersey.  He is part of a VERY wealthy family, but his mother was cast out because of being pregnant with him and not wanting to give him up.  They have NO contact or assistance with the family, living a meager existence and seem to be OK with it.  When Becket runs into his childhood crush in Julia (Margaret Qualley), she plants an idea in his head that of getting rid of the seven relatives that stand between him and billions of dollars.

Given that this is A24, it could be assumed that this is the kind of dark comedy that relies more on that first word than the second, but thankfully that is not the case.  This definitely fits that genre, but carries enough lightheartedness that there is no need for a palate cleanser afterwards.  Powell uses the innate charm and signature smile that carries him through so much of his films to the nth power here as a man who just wants his piece of the pie after he channels a part of him he did not know existed alongside a cast that has really good chemistry, even though most of them don’t share any scenes with each other outside of Powell.  If I had to classify this film more accurately, I would call this a film noir turned upside down with the main character being the perp versus the detective; it carries all of the elements of a Dashiell Hammett story without the jazzy score and a lot less smoke being used outside of those that could be used with mirrors… but that is as far as I am going there.

There has been some rough reviews out there for this film, and honestly I don’t get it.  I am not sure what people were expecting out of How to Make a Killing, but I found this to be a fun trip that brings that rollercoaster feel that I enjoy.  Perhaps it is my love for old-school noir that gives me a bit of a different slant than others, but there is no way I will say that this is a bad film.  If you are looking for a hardcore thriller or action film, this isn’t it.  But if you are looking to just check out of everything for a couple of hours and be entertained, this is a good option.