The Best Assassin Movie of 2024 Just Quietly Dropped in Theaters (& Has 96% on Rotten Tomatoes Already)

Summary

• In September 2023, Hit Man, which Richard Linklater co-wrote with actor Glen Powell, was screened at the Venice Film Festival.
• Critics loved the film, giving it a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
• The new comedy thriller will soon be available on Netflix and may get a limited theatrical release.

In 2023, the film industry was overwhelmed by the sheer number of great releases. In fact, there were so many worthy projects that many films simply got lost in the shuffle, especially now, as the hype continues around the nominees for the upcoming 96th Academy Awards.

As such, completely under the radar was the new movie from Richard Linklater, Hit Man. The film, which premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, immediately drew comparisons to David Fincher's The Killer, which screened two days earlier, because both films are excellent character studies of people for whom the killer's activities are more of an ongoing performance.

Only Linklater's Hit Man has a goofier comedic tone, which the filmmaker has always been adept at using — all of which makes it one of the most remarkable releases of the past year, especially since the film will soon be available on Netflix.

What is Linklater's New Movie About?

The new movie promises not only to bring Linklater back from the brink of oblivion in the collective memory, but also to elevate the career of Glen Powell. Of course, he gained a lot of fame last year thanks to Anyone but You, in which he co-starred with Sydney Sweeney ( and even managed to generate rumors about his relationship with the latter). However, it is Hit Man that may be the litmus test of Glenn's talent, as he co-wrote the screenplay with Linklater.

Hit Man is loosely based on a 2001 Texas Monthly article by Skip Hollandsworth. The material was about a Houston man who posed as a professional hit man but was actually working undercover with the cops to provide them with his clients. Hit Man decided to tackle the story in an original way, adding elements of comedy, steamy romance, and even a somewhat philosophical approach.

At the center of the plot is a sheepish college professor Gary Johnson, who must take on the alter ego of an assassin named Ron as part of his cooperation with the Houston police. The protagonist even begins to feel more like the charismatic Ron than the inexpressive Gary — and thus loses track of his identity. Things get even worse when he becomes romantically involved with his client, played by the incomparable star of Good Omens and Andor, Adria Arjona.

Critics have loved Hit Man: the movie's score on Rotten Tomatoes is an impressive 96%.

When Will the Movie Be Available?

Unfortunately, as we said, only critics have been able to see the film so far: it was first shown at the Venice Film Festival on September 5, 2023, and then, on September 11, Hit Man was shown at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.

We, the general public, will have to wait a little longer. After the Toronto screening, Netflix inked a $20 million deal, making it the most expensive festival acquisition of the past year (which is all the more intriguing since the streaming service saw so much potential in the new movie). Netflix will add Hit Man to its library on June 7, 2024, and it will be available in most regions, including the US, UK, Australia/New Zealand, India, South Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Iceland — well, there's a VPN for everyone else.

The decision to give the film a streaming release might be a bit questionable: there are plenty of masterpieces on Netflix's platform, but how memorable are they compared to those shown in theaters? According to Deadline, Netflix still plans to give Linklater and Powell's ambitious project a limited theatrical run, with details likely to be announced later this year.