As a film with an exciting premise and a billable cast, How to Make a Killing is attractive on paper. I regret to say, then, that Hollywood big dog Glen Powell’s newest project ultimately fails to meet expectations.
The film follows Becket Redfellow (Powell), whose heiress mother is excluded from a multi-billion fortune, hatching a plan to remove the seven relatives in the way of his inheritance. The plot, inspired by the 1949 Ealing comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets, is certainly enticing — it invites a whole host of guest appearances as the aforementioned family members, including Zach Woods (The Office) and Topher Grace (That 70s Show, BlackKklansman), who offer the occasional laugh in this supposed black comedy. Therein lies the film’s central issue — apart from the wealthy, out-of-touch, characters who each meet their maker, it isn’t that funny. Powell is unfortunately one-dimensional as Redfellow, failing to hold up a plot which heavily relies on the performance of its protagonist. Margaret Qualley (The Substance, Kinds of Kindness) appears as Julia Steinway, Redfellow’s childhood friend with a lust for money which rivals his own. Qualley delivers a decent performance and is frankly underutilised.
Jessica Henwick (Iron Fist, The Gray Man), plays Ruth, Redfellow’s none-the-wiser partner, whose role offers perhaps the only ounce of nuance to the emotional toll of his killing spree. As far as the story goes, How to Make a Killing lacks substance — apart from the seven murders Redfellow attempts to carry out, there isn’t much more to it. Plot holes are ignored, logic goes out of the window, and Powell doesn’t convincingly portray the all-consuming greed and revenge. He has shown his acting chops in films like Set It Up and Hit Man, but he is almost too slick in this — he doesn’t show any range as his character leaves a trail of chaos in his pursuit of his inheritance.
Amidst my effort to find the subtle message behind a film so focused on the pursuit of money and consequent lack of substance, my friend remarked to me as we walked home: “You know, it can also just be a bad movie.” It seems he was right.
“Glen Powell” by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.