Netflix Made a Good Movie!

You know that actor you’ve been seeing everywhere? Well, his name is Glen Powell. And he’s in a new Netflix film that’s already been labeled it’s “best original movie in ages.” Sounds hyperbolic, right? But apparently, it might be true. The film, titled “Hit Man”, was just released this past weekend, and is already rated 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

It also has a 95% rating for the more-telling audience score. 

The movie stars Powell as an unassuming high school teacher, who moonlights as an undercover hitman for the New Orleans Police Department. Powell’s character, Gary Johnson, uses an array of fake personas to help the police arrest people who are looking to hire assassins. 

The movie, however, is considered a romantic comedy. So, of course, as you can guess… things become complicated for Johnson, once he meets a beautiful woman he is suddenly interested in. The film is a combination of comedy, action, romance and attractiveness. It was directed by Richard Linklater, who previously directed “Dazed and Confused”, “School of Rock” and “Boyhood”, among others. 

As far as Powell goes, the 35-year-old is taking off as Hollywood’s latest heartthrob. Despite debuting in “Spy Kids 3” 21 years ago, and working consistently since, Powell’s career has really taken off in just the last two years. It began when he played Lieutenant Jake “Hangman” Seresin in “Top Gun: Maverick,” alongside Tom Cruise, which was released in May 2022.

Then there was the rom-com with Sydney Sweeney, “Anyone But You,” where Powell got to show off his physique on the beaches of Australia. The film was released to a lot of fanfare just before Christmas in 2023. And now, this film, which Powell helped write the screenplay of. (And that’s not to mention the wild story Powell recently told on a podcast about his sister’s friend dating a cannibal… if you missed that, listen to the tale right here.)

The film was released to movie theaters two weeks ago for a small theatrical run, before being placed on the streaming platform. It’s based on an article that Skip Hollandsworth wrote for the Texas Monthly magazine (both Powell and Linklater are from Texas).

Netflix started producing original content in 2013, but hasn’t been a smash with their films.

There was the Eddie Murphy-led “Dolemite is My Name” in 2019, which holds a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. The highly acclaimed “The Irishman” from the same year, which holds a 95% rating. And a lesser known “His House” from 2020, when everyone was looking for things to watch, which holds a perfect 100%(!) on Rotten Tomatoes.

But overall, not a lot for Netflix to write home about. Maybe they have something with their newest film though. After all, we ARE writing about it… You can check out the trailer for “Hit Man” here, and see what you think for yourself.