Glen Powell rose to fame when he co-starred with Tom Crusie in "Top Gun: Maverick" in 2022. He has become a bankable star in the intervening years. His mid-budget romcom with Sidney Sweeney, "Anyone But You," from last year, was a huge hit based solely on the star power of him and Sweeney.

In “Hit Man” Powell takes on the challenging role of Gary Johnson, a college professor leading a double life as an undercover police hitman. His life takes a dramatic turn when he falls for Madison (Adria Arjona), a woman seeking to have her husband eliminated.

Powell is a movie star, and this movie proves it. Gary is a nerdy guy who takes on different personalities when pretending to be a hitman. When he meets Madison, he meets her as Ron. Ron is smooth, confident, and charming, the opposite of Gary. Ron is the man Madison falls for; that is the persona he has to keep up. Powell does a great job of making these two sides seem totally different.

The movie is a ton of fun to watch. I don't want to reveal too much of the plot, but his relationship with Madison obviously complicates his life. It is fun to watch him navigate his relationship with Madison while keeping his cover and not letting the police know about said relationship.

This received a limited run in theaters and can now be watched on Netflix. And that is a shame. I watched this by myself on my couch when it just felt like a movie that would have been worth seeing on the big screen with a crowd. I think with Powell's star on the rise, this could have been a huge hit. Sadly, Netflix seems content to leave money on the table just to attempt to drive subscribers to their service.

8/10

Rated R for language throughout, sexual content, and some violence

1hr. 55min