Hit Man
Netflix | Release Date: May 24, 2024 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
82
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 55 Critic Reviews
Positive:
54
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Washington PostTy BurrMay 23, 2024
A blast of pure pleasure and one of the year’s best films, “Hit Man” should be seen with a crowd grooving on its devilish comic energy, its off-the-charts sexual chemistry and the star-making turn at its center. Read full review
100
Original-CinKaren GordonMay 23, 2024
It’s a deceptively simple movie, a lot of fun. And it doesn’t require you to do a deep dive to really enjoy it. Read full review
100
Boston GlobeOdie HendersonMay 23, 2024
Hit Man is one of the year’s best movies. Read full review
100
The New York TimesAlissa WilkinsonMay 23, 2024
It’s radiant and loose and confident, the kind of movie that you can just tell was a blast to make, which makes it a blast to watch. As our overstuffed big-budget era starts to falter, let’s hope they start making movies like this again. Read full review
100
Wall Street JournalZachary BarnesMay 23, 2024
Advancing toward its end, Hit Man becomes the least predictable of romances and the most oddly riveting of thrillers, managing all the while to deconstruct the Hollywood fantasy invoked in its title even as it indulges in a yet more timeless one: that of two gorgeous people falling in love. Read full review
100
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriSep 8, 2023
Linklater’s gentle touch is his secret weapon, and Hit Man might be a masterpiece. Read full review
100
The PlaylistElena LazicSep 5, 2023
Hit Man finds both comedy and refuge in the elusive nature of identity and acts as a balm in our confusingly performative, deeply unsexy times. Read full review
90
ABC NewsPeter TraversMay 31, 2024
Oooowee, this is one scorchingly sexy thriller. Powered by shining new star Glen Powell, who singes the screen with wowza costar Adria Arjona, this cheeky, somewhat true story from director Richard Linklater adds up to one of the best and most beguiling movies of the year. Read full review
90
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzMay 22, 2024
Linklater knows exactly the power that his leading man commands, but instead of lazily exploiting it off the top, the director reverse-engineers a charm offensive so earth-shaking that it registers on the Richter scale. Read full review
90
The Daily BeastNick SchagerJan 16, 2024
Hit Man is hot and hilarious, a winning combination amplified by a story that gets knottier at every turn. Read full review
90
IGNRafael MotamayorSep 14, 2023
With a tour de force performance by Glen Powell and a sharp script, Hit Man delivers the kind of intense romance sorely lacking in sexless Hollywood movies. It’s a fascinating character study that, though directed by Richard Linklater, gives off the vibes of a chaotic, dark crime comedy from the Coen brothers. Come for Powell's ascendance to superstardom, stay for one of the funniest and most entertaining movies of the year. Read full review
90
Screen DailyFionnuala HalliganSep 10, 2023
This genial comedy/noir is a genuine crowdpleaser – funny, sexy, clever and confident in building a low-key humour which hits the target over and over again. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinSep 5, 2023
Given the chemistry between the two leads that could restart a dormant nuclear power plant, viewers are likely to come away sated with pleasure after seeing this delightful work. Read full review
90
TheWrapBen CrollSep 5, 2023
A peak-performance engine running wholly on charisma, Richard Linklater’s Hit Man revives and revitalizes a genre in awfully short supply. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleKimberley JonesMay 23, 2024
You think you’re watching a breezy-seeming comedy, then you’re seduced by two expert flirts, and then suddenly you’re genuinely stirred by a carpe diem monologue on the malleability of identity. I mean, what even is this? An absolute gas. Read full review
88
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldJun 13, 2024
Richard Linklater’s Hit Man is one of those movies that just picks you up immediately and sweeps you away; it’s made with an irresistibly breezy confidence. Read full review
88
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJun 3, 2024
Hit Man is smartly written, with Linklater and Powell deftly melding screwball comedy elements with rom-com beats against a Hitchcockian thriller backdrop. The small twists have big payoffs. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsMay 30, 2024
Not since “Out of Sight” has a sort-of-crime-thriller, sort-of-romantic-comedy led with its sensual interests over its violent ones. That’s my idea of a good trade, and Powell is more relaxed and easygoing on screen here than ever before. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoMay 23, 2024
It’s a deceptively well-made flick that appears to be Linklater in little more than his “let’s have fun” mode. But it can’t keep one of the smartest filmmakers of his generation from elevating everything that this movie is trying to do with remarkable depth. Read full review
87
PolygonOli WelshJun 11, 2024
Hit Man could have been a lot of different movies, and part of the joy of the film is in how playfully it gestures toward all those different potential versions of itself. But ultimately, that one perfect scene defines it as a great romantic comedy with a delicious bite. Read full review
85
The AtlanticDavid SimsJun 7, 2024
It’s also just a sexy, fun movie for grown-ups that believes in its story rather than empty spectacle. . . this is a rare romantic comedy to see with a roaring crowd. Read full review
83
ColliderRoss BonaimeSep 12, 2023
Hit Man is also simply one of the most thoroughly enjoyable films of Linklater’s career, an absolute delight to watch unfold and play out. He keeps the twists of the noir narrative fairly straightforward, leaving us to revel and admire in Powell’s comedic chops, the romantic entanglements, and the anticipation for when this relationship might go too far. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesMark OlsenJun 6, 2024
Hit Man makes for an undeniable good time. Sometimes all you really need is a couple of impossibly attractive people enjoying each other’s company, captured by a filmmaker who knows when to stay out of their way. And if that’s not a movie, well, then, I don’t know what is. Read full review
80
Rolling StoneDavid FearJun 5, 2024
Your suspension of disbelief may get tested more than a few times as Linklater’s crime comedy shuffles to its ironic happily-ever-afters — ditto your tolerance for self-consciously jaunty scores — yet your faith in Powell as a real-deal leading man who can work miracles is never shaken. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeMay 25, 2024
Hit Man takes Powell’s amiable, supporting actor appeal (Top Gun: Maverick) and hones it to a star quality of such laser-beam intensity, you start to fear for your eyesight. It breathes fresh life into the played-out hitman genre – and contains what may be one of the top five winks in movie history. Read full review
80
SlateDana StevensMay 23, 2024
For all its gritty genre elements, Hit Man is at heart a cozy hangout movie, a minor but thoroughly enjoyable entry in the Linklater canon. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawMay 23, 2024
Hit Man comes close to fantasy and approaches screwball but keeps the realism. A hit is what it deserves to be. Read full review
80
NMEJames MottramMay 23, 2024
Linklater is a master of pacing and he times this story to perfection; you’ll be aching with laughter by the end. Read full review
80
The IndependentClarisse LoughreyMay 23, 2024
Arjona matches Powell’s passions, while Linklater, with a touch of his signature nonchalance, sprinkles in a few of Gary’s classroom musings on whether people can truly change. Read full review
80
EmpireSophie ButcherMay 22, 2024
Glen Powell achieves certified movie-star status and Adria Arjona shines in this slick, seductive romantic thriller. Don’t let it get buried in your Netflix watch list. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzMay 20, 2024
Powell and Arjona have electric chemistry. It’s a joy to watch their back-and-forth — not quite the banter of classic screwball comedies, but close. Read full review
80
Screen RantAlex HarrisonOct 6, 2023
Savor Hit Man, however you come across it - it's not every day the movies entertain us in this way at this level of execution anymore. Read full review
80
The TelegraphRobbie CollinSep 8, 2023
Hit Man trips along on great writing, Linklater’s witty, light-touch direction and a rich sense of place, but what makes it especially pleasurable is Powell and Arjona’s naturally steamy rapport. Read full review
80
CineVueJohn BleasdaleSep 8, 2023
Linklater’s Hit Man is an Aperol Spritz with enough fizz and prosecco to cover the taste of the strychnine. This could be one of the brightest dark comedies of recent times. Read full review
80
Time OutPhil de SemlyenSep 5, 2023
Comfortably Linklater’s best movie since Boyhood, Hit Man stands alongside School of Rock for big laughs and good vibes – albeit with a darker streak that slowly kicks in. Read full review
80
Total FilmJane CrowtherSep 5, 2023
Fizzy, funny, heightened – Hit Man is a damn good time at the movies that will leave you buzzing. Read full review
80
The GuardianXan BrooksSep 5, 2023
Richard Linklater’s latest is a jaunty action comedy that spins its machine-tooled high concept like a bicycle wheel – sometimes with shrewd intent, sometimes for pure fun. Read full review
79
Paste MagazineAnna McKibbinSep 6, 2023
With such charming old-school performances, Hit Man peels back the layers of genre to reveal something alive–lovely in its full-bodied animation. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubNatalia KeoganJun 7, 2024
While Hit Man satiates as a slick, sexy comedy-noir that will actually get at-home viewers to engage with media outside of the dreaded algorithm, it’s worth hoping that Linklater’s forthcoming big swings are met with similar zeal. Read full review
75
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottMay 28, 2024
What we end up with is a rare treat: a midbudget movie for grown-ups — no capes, no magic wands, no kid’s stuff. In other words: pure Linklater. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperMay 23, 2024
With Powell and Arjona sizzling as the most electric romantic pairing of the year so far, “Hit Man” is pure escapist early summer fun. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleMay 22, 2024
Hit Man is not among Linklater’s best movies, but he gives his best to it, and the results are on the screen. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineZach LewisOct 4, 2023
Many of Richard Linklater’s films are united by their celebration of the pretentious in its etymological meaning of “playing pretend.” With Hit Man, he and Glenn Powell take this further by demonstrating that acting isn’t just entertainment or art—it’s also a fundamental part of our lives. Read full review
70
CNNBrian LowryJun 7, 2024
Hit Man is as much a quirky romance as a thriller, juggling its mix of whimsy and suspense deftly enough, especially down the closing stretch. Read full review
70
The Irish TimesTara BradyJun 5, 2024
Arjona brings heat to an undeveloped character. Powell, who manages to wring a moment of magnetism from iPhone notes, inevitably steals the show. Read full review
70
The New YorkerRichard BrodyMay 31, 2024
Linklater’s direction keeps “Hit Man” brisk and jazzy, as does the jovial force of Powell’s performance. Read full review
70
We Got This CoveredFrancisca TinocoMay 22, 2024
Much like its protagonist, 'Hit Man' is an amalgam of personalities, not entirely one thing or the other, but a combination of genres that, through careful writing, each manages to maintain their essence throughout. Read full review
70
Vanity FairRichard LawsonSep 5, 2023
Hit Man is determined to be fun above all else, and it largely succeeds in that honorable, populist mission. It entertains, and generously pushes two game performers closer toward the movie-star pantheon. Read full review
70
VarietyOwen GleibermanSep 5, 2023
Hit Man is studded with delicious moments, but as amusing as the movie is it has a plot that sprawls forward in a rather ungainly fashion, and it goes on for too long. Read full review
67
The Film StageLuke HicksSep 7, 2023
Hit Man is far from one of Linklater’s best, but in the context of his career it’s a welcomed addition, and on its own a damn good time. Read full review
67
IndieWireDavid EhrlichSep 5, 2023
Powell and Arjona have fizzy chemistry with each other, which isn’t much of a shock for two people who could probably get a spark going with a paper bag during a rainstorm, but it’s fun to watch both of their characters throw themselves into their new lives. Read full review
63
LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenJun 12, 2024
It becomes more interesting as it goes along (and gets slightly darker), even if it never entirely works as a cohesive project. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreJun 10, 2024
Its efforts to find “cute” and “charming” in a romance between this fake killer and a woman who wanted to hire him fall flat. The many disguises and guises trotted out by star and co-writer Glen Powell as a New Orleans assassin didn’t play as funny, even if the “acting” and predicaments his real-life character talked his way out of are amusing. Read full review
63
The Associated PressLindsey BahrMay 22, 2024
It’s perfectly enjoyable: a glossy, easy-to-digest Powell showcase that isn’t trying to be anything but fun. But the second coming of the action-comedy-romance, it is not. Read full review
60
SlashfilmChris EvangelistaMay 24, 2024
Hit Man is light enough to be enjoyable, and Powell and Arjona really make things pop. However, Hit Man is also kind of forgettable, and often uninspired. The story is high concept, the execution is lacking. Read full review
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