“Hit Man”, interview with director Richard Linklater

September 9, 2023

Richard Linklater, director of Hitman on the FRED Award and his "romantic comedy about murder"

"Hit Man", interview with director Richard Linklater Chiara Nicoletti

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Inspired by the true story of professor, Gary Johnson, who worked as phony hit man for the New Orleans Police Department for years, Oscar®-Nominated director Richard Linklater directed Hit Man, screening at the 80th Venice International Film Festival out of competition and written with the film’s star Glen Powell.

Thanks to the actor, Linklater managed to find the key to turn Johnson’story into a film as Powell recalls: “There was one line near the end of the article about Gary Johnson finding this woman who was trying to kill her husband but seeing the humanity in her. He looked at this person and thought, ‘This is a victim of their circumstances, and I want to help them through this thing.’ A guy who imitated humanity was in turn finding his own humanity. That relationship turned out to be key to the entire movie.”

With the “interference of Glen Powell, Linklater also mastered his first scene ever in a film that sees the romantic and sexy involvement of Powell and Adria Arjona playing Madison. Richard Linklater is the recipient of this year’s FRED Award at the Venice International Film Festival.

Plot

Hit Man is loosely based on a true crime article I read almost twenty years ago in the Texas Monthly. The film is attempting to hit a lot of notes—comedy, noir, thriller, psychological study—while examining most of all the concept of identity and how fixed our personalities may or may not be.

Written by: Chiara Nicoletti

FRED Award Mostra del Cinema di Venezia Venice Film Festival