John Patton Ford blew up on the scene when Emily the Criminal debuted to a strong critical reception . Aubrey Plaza gave a career-best performance, and the film gained a strong following on Netflix. But then the filmmaker went quiet. His latest, How to Make a Killing, took a circuitous route to theatres, but here it finally is, starring Glenn Powell . Ford drew inspiration for a film about murdering your way to inheritance from Kind Hearts & Coronets . By shifting the setting from Kind Hearts and Coronets ’ 1940s Britain to contemporary New York City, the ribbing of the incestuous gentry is replaced by skewering moral hypocrisy.
Ford’s film is pitch black. And its protagonist operates with a similar outlook. Of course, Powell flirted with criminal intent in Richard Linklater ’s Hit Man , but it will be interesting to see how audiences receive this darker direction. Will they accept Powell as the face of scorned privilege? The lead actor took a temporary hit when The Running Man didn’t set the box office ablaze, but I still say that Edgar Wright ’s adaptation deserved better. Here, he tries his hand at righting wrongs, not with a game show, but some good old-fashioned murder.
Becket Redfellow (Powell) was disowned at birth. His mother, Mary (Nell Williams), was one of the heirs to a Long Island fortune until she fell in love with a musician. She got pregnant and then disobeyed the patriarch of her storied family, Whitelaw Redfellow (Ed Harris), by keeping Becket. Her decision resulted in Mary raising her son in a Jersey row house. Becket’s humble beginnings don’t dissuade him from chasing what he’s owed. Working at a men’s wear store, Becket sees up close what kind of life he should be living. But serving his presumed equals puts a chip on his shoulder. We all have a moral code, but with 28 billion dollars on the line, that code gets a little quieter inside your head.
Ruth ( Jessica Henwick ) provides a level-headed view to Becket. Sometimes, life is about what you already have. There’s a cost to chasing “more,” but Becket is unwilling to hear the advice. Ruth’s insistence on taking the high road builds a fissure between herself and Becket. Consequently, old flame Julia ( Margaret Qualley ) returns to Becket’s life as a bad angel, who gently nudges him on the road to ruin. Becket starts as a bumbling amateur, knocking off a relative purely by accident, then takes command of the hostile situations he finds himself in. He finds the control intoxicating. Soon, people around him begin to give him the respect he deserves. What a world.
Qualley and Powell’s interactions are well-composed, and their chemistry powers the film’s first half. Powell and Henwick’s scenes are also compelling, but sadly receive short shrift once the bloodletting begins. Henwick’s Ruth is the figurative soul of the film, but like any satire, the soul isn’t what the audience came to see. Thrillers draw in audiences with a heightened sense of reality and the thrill of being caught. Accordingly, Qualley’s femme fatale is the highlight. A force of nature who throws Becket off his axis.
The Redfellow clan provides timely fodder for Becket throughout the film as well. Pastor Steven (Topher Grace), Warren (Bill Camp), and Noah (Zach Woods) nail their bumbling caricatures, drawing laughs from their sheer insanity. Ed Harris’s patriarch, on the other hand, makes your blood run cold. The variation in acting styles should be messy. After all, how does a calculating, sadistic business titan blend with Topher Grace’s churchy Justin Bieber vibes? I can’t explain it, but the performances coalesce well. And even when the film ventures into folly, Powell keeps the film level with his intensity and charisma.
It’s 2026. You know if you like Glenn Powell or not. But if his other films didn’t sway you, give How to Make a Killing a chance. The film lets him play against his Twisters/Top Gun/Anyone But You persona. Becket is just as charming as Powell’s other roles; what’s different is the darkness that lies underneath the surface. Becket built his upward mobility on righteous anger, but as he gets closer to fulfilling his revenge, the persona he makes becomes a trap. He portrays Becket like a caged animal, who still projects calm and cool. The role stretches Powell’s dramatic range, and I look forward to seeing what variety of parts he chooses next.
Parasite , Ready or Not , and Succession kicked off a sub-genre of maximalist satire that skewers the ruling class with out-there scenarios. How to Make a Killing is a little more restrained, portraying its message through small gestures rather than gut-bursting laughs. The film isn’t leaning on you to remember that the 1% is different than the rest of us. Ford relies on your eyes and ears to make the film’s point without grandstanding. How to Make a Killing is a timely morality tale for a society that treats American Psycho’ s Patrick Bateman as aspirational instead of cautionary.
