The True Story Behind Hit Man, Glen Powell & Richard Linklater's Netflix Movie

Summary Hit Man, based on a true story, follows an undercover agent who doubles as a hitman, arresting clients who hire him.

Premiering at the Venice Film Festival, the movie received praise for its cast, humor, and dark thriller elements.

While some aspects were embellished for dramatic effect, the film offers a comedic and romantic take on the real-life story.

Richard Linekar's latest movie Hit Man, which offers a humorous insight into the life of an unlikely undercover agent, is somewhat based on a true story. Starring Glen Powell, the movie focuses on an undercover officer who moonlights as a hitman, arresting those who attempt to hire his services to kill. He is skilled in his work and is convincing in the characters he portrays throughout each job. His latest mission involves a young woman who hires his services to save her from her abusive husband; as he attempts to carry out his mission, he finds himself falling in love with her, which complicates matters.

Since it premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, Hit Man has received positive reviews for its cast, screenplay, and directing. It received a 6-minute standing ovation at its initial premiere and has been regarded as a new highlight in Richard Linklatar's directing career (via Deadline). Critics have regarded it as a humorously dark thriller and an excellent adaptation of the true story it was based on.

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Hit Man Is Based On A Texas Monthly Article Written By Skip Hollandsworth

The Article Was Written in 2001

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Director, Richard Linklater, a friend of Hollandsworth, read the article when it was first published; it was during the COVID-19 pandemic that he and Hollandsworth discussed the idea of adapting the article into a movie, and they began working on the screenplay and its cast.

The 2023 thriller focuses on a skilled hitman, Gary Johnson, who has been sought after by many to kill certain individuals. What these people who hire him don't know is that he is secretly an undercover agent for the police. Johnson's work usually leads to him arresting those who attempt to hire his services; throughout the movie, he takes on multiple identities to fool those who contact him.

The main story of Hit Man originated in an article written by Skip Hollandsworth, for the Texas Monthly in 2001. In the article, Hollandsworth detailed how Johnson was able to keep a low profile with his neighbors, while, all the while, working with the police as a fake hitman. Director, Richard Linklater, a friend of Hollandsworth, read the article when it was first published; it was during the COVID-19 pandemic that he and Hollandsworth discussed the idea of adapting the article into a movie, and they began working alongside Glen Powell on the adaptation, screenplay, and its cast (via Variety).

Richard Linklater and Skip Hollandsworth previously co-wrote the screenplay for the movie Bernie (2011) together.

Glen Powell's Hit Man Character Is Based On The Real Gary Johnson

He Began Working As A Fake Hitman In 1989

To the outside world, Johnson maintained the public figure of an ordinary, unassuming man, caring for his pet cats and polite to his neighbors; those who hired his services as a hitman saw him as a mysterious loner, who always accepts the offer given to him, and says he will take care of the problem.

In Hit Man, Glen Powell plays the lead role of Gary Johnson, the secret hitman, whose life is described in Hollandsworth's article. Johnson was born in Louisiana and served as a police officer for a year in Vietnam before returning to the United States and finding work as an investigator for a district attorney's office; he began working as an undercover agent in 1989 when the police ordered him to disguise himself as a hitman for a woman who was searching to find somebody to kill her husband. The woman was subsequently sentenced to a lengthy time in prison, and Johnson continued his work as a fake hitman for hire (via Texas Monthly).

To the outside world, Johnson maintained the public figure of an ordinary, unassuming man, caring for his pet cats and polite to his neighbors; those who hired his services as a hit man saw him as a mysterious loner, who always accepts the offer given to him, and says he will take care of the problem. In his article, Skip Hollandsworth described the real Gary Johnson as "the Laurence Olivier of the field" and a skilled actor who could easily fit into any role he was given. His colleagues likened him to a chameleon who always managed to fool anybody he came across.

Why The Hit Man Movie Is Still Considered Fictional

Some Aspects of The Film Were Embellished For Dramatic Effect

Richard Linklater and Glen Powell establish Johnson as an out-of-his-luck professor, hired by chance to replace a colleague as an undercover agent; this was done to portray Johnson as a relatable character to audiences and offer a comedic side to his work.

While Hit Man offers a darkly comedic view into the life and work of Gary Johnson, the movie is still considered somewhat fictional in how it portrays the story. Names of certain individuals are changed and several aspects of Johnson's life are embellished to add a more dramatic effect to the movie. In contrast to the original article, Richard Linklater and Glen Powell establish Johnson as an out-of-his-luck professor, hired by chance to replace a colleague as an undercover agent; this was done to portray Johnson as a relatable character to audiences and offer a comedic side to his work.

The romantic elements are also significantly embellished in the movie; the story of Johnson assisting a woman in killing her abusive husband is only briefly touched upon in the article, whereas it is the main focus of the movie. Many of Richard Linklater's best movies are known to have a sense of comedy and romance and Hit Man proves to be no exception. While this is a risk to a movie based on a real story, early reviews of Hit Man show that this risk is paying off and could lead to one of Linklater's and Powell's best movies yet.

Sources: Deadline, Variety, Texas Monthly