Plot
By the book University Professor Gary Johnson leads a fairly ordinary life. He lives alone (apart from his cats), and is totally bland in every way.
As a part time job, he helps the police dept with setting up wire taps to catch people who are trying to have their spouses murdered by a hit man. When one of the best cops in the business is suspended, the police ask him to “go undercover” as the hitman, and take down the next target. When it is successful, he starts to do more and more jobs.
When Madison, a young married woman comes in front of him, he sees something in her, and ‘talks her out’ of asking for the murder of her husband Ray.
They then being seeing each other romantically, and not long after Ray himself comes to hire Gary to kill Madison… but things escalate when days later Ray turns up dead…
Direction
Directed by “Before trilogy” as well as dozens of others Richard Linklater.
The direction is fine, but I didn’t really feel that there was much of his ‘trademark’ that I have seen in the past.
Cast
Gary Powell, who has really come to prominence in the last decade plays Gary. His blend of his ‘alter ego’ the hit man Ron is fun – as Powell’s natural charisma comes easy to him. The highlight was his ‘multiple’ personalities in which he uses to catch people trying to hire him.
The other cast include Adria Arjona as Madison, Austin Amelio as Jasper a police detective Gary works with, and Retta as Claudette – another police officer Gary works with.
The supporting cast, are okay too – but completely forgettable once you turn it off. Even Retta, who was utterly brilliant in such projects like Parks and Recs is given very little to do.
Breakdown
“Inspired by true events” caper is good… but not great.
All the ups go to Powell as Gary – who when we meet him is a ordinary individual – he lives alone, he has a respectable, but bland job as a professor of psychology, and works part time in the wiretap department of the New Orleans Police Department.
He is asked to go undercover as “Hit Man Ron” . when the lead detective Jasper is suspended for police brutality. His first attempt to “solicit a confession” from someone to hire “Ron” to murder someone goes swimmingly, he then becomes the ‘go to’ undercover agent – as he is able to get people to open up to him, and ‘hire him’. There are multiple very funny montages of his alter ego’s – with make up/costumes and accents.
I found the cut aways to the court cases brought nothing to the table. If you’re going to add something like this – follow through with it. They question Gary’s methods… but then these cut aways just… stop.
Gary/Ron soon meets Madison – a woman who is in an abusive marriage who wants to hire “Ron” to kill her husband. But Gary feels empathy for her, and tells her to take the money she’s offering to start a new life. “Ron” then starts to date Madison – which catches the eye of ‘good enough cop’ Jasper…. who starts to suspect that they are keeping secrets from the police.
This starts a situation where Madison’s ex Ray wants to hire ‘Ron’ to Kill Madison – but winds up dead the next day!!!
The final half hour or so of the film has some quite funny moments, especially when “Gary” goes to visit Madison to get her to confess to killing her husband… and they have a “verbal fight” where he cleverly tells her (via text messages) that the police are listening.
I absolutely hated the ending though in which ‘good enough cop’ Jasper is *** murdered by Gary *** and then there is a “happy ending” where Gary and Madison are now happily married with kids. Um What the Eff… you just killed a cop (okay he bribed them, but she did murder her husband too!!!!
Overall
Pretty solid film, with an impeccable performance by Powell. His ability to play multiple characters is brilliant, and he is the highlight of the film. The rest of the cast are rather bland, as well as the direction that just didn’t do much for me.
I hated the “happy ending” – it felt undeserved, as it was based on two murders and this ruined it for me.
Despite its many accolades, this was just another film I didn’t get. Still passable though.
3/5
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