Film Review

Hit Man (2023) — Linklater’s romantic action comedy is right on target

A professor moonlighting as a hit man of sorts for his city police department, descends into dangerous territory when he finds himself attracted to a woman who enlists his services.

If the state of true crime media in the 2020s were to be summarised in under 10 words, perhaps the phrase that appears at the beginning of Hitman would be the most fitting: “Based on a somewhat true story”.

The playfully elusive nature of that statement perfectly captures Richard Linklater’s latest film, Hitman. While an endless barrage of true-crime documentaries clogs the arteries of streaming services, Linklater offers something much lighter, yet with far more substance. Even if it’s only “somewhat” truthful.

Hitman is loosely based on a 2001 article published in Texas Monthly — the self-proclaimed “national magazine of Texas”. Journalist Skip Hollandsworth recounted the unbelievable true story of a mild-mannered philosophy professor and cat lover named Gary…