Nate At The Movies

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.

I’m sorry, did you say Glen Powell AND Margaret Qualley? How had I not heard about this movie sooner? As you can probably imagine, I was quickly interested in How to Make a Killing once I saw that first star-studded trailer. Between the endless amounts of charm oozing from Powell and Qualley and the very interesting premise, I was sold, and the product tonight was just about what I thought it was going to be (mostly complimentary).

What How to Make a Killing obviously had going for it was the magnetism of its two stars. Powell dominated in yet another lead role, delivering the charm and the sinister in equal measure, and Qualley was a surprisingly fun foil to Powell. I do continue to wish that Qualley would secure lead roles in bigger movies (like The Substance), because one more of those would launch her into the stratosphere where she belongs, but she was fun alongside Powell. The supporting cast was solid, too, especially all of Beckett’s eccentric family members. I hadn’t seen Topher Grace in a while; welcome back, Forman!

The story was also pretty interesting and made engaging by Powell (whose Hit Man felt like the training grounds for this film), but what was unfortunately missing for me was some engaging direction to match. I wanted some quick, punchy editing and creative shots, à la Wes Anderson or Edgar Wright, but to no avail. The story deserved it, and would’ve been made more memorable by it, because as it stands, this was one of the most tame movies where at least seven people die. Still, though, the kills were novel and creative, and the lengths that Powell had to go to to keep it all hidden was impressive. I also really enjoyed the ending, which was one of those “evil wins” finishes that I feel bad for liking as much as I did. What can I say? I love these two riding off into the sunset with their billions.

In better hands, How to Make a Killing could’ve been a modern crime classic, with snappy direction and a twisty narrative. However, the amazing potential of this story could’ve been bungled by a less competent director than John Patton Ford. The movie was still a lot of fun, fueled by two lovely performances and a streak of satisfying kills, and I’m delighted that my streak of good February movies continued tonight. I wouldn’t mind if the next one also starred one of my movie crushes (does that include Glen Powell? That’s for you to decide).