Richard Linklater’s crime comedy Hit Man landed on Netflix on May 24, 2024. With rising star Glen Powell at the forefront, and Linklater behind the lens, this tightly-paced movie quickly became a hit with audiences. It has received widespread critical acclaim and many are talking about the film’s true story elements.
The film focuses on Gary Johnson (Glen Powell), a college professor who has a rather distinct side hustle. By day – he teaches. By night – he moonlights as a hitman for his local police department, well, kind of. Hit Man blends crime, comedy, suspense and romance in a refreshing way that has captivated moviegoers. However, what’s caused the most conversation is the fact that the movie is loosely based on a true story. So, let’s break down the film and decipher what is fact and what is fiction.
What Is the Plot of Hit Man?
Hit Man picks up right from the start with a slick voiceover of Gary. On the surface, he’s mild mannered and reserved, yet incredibly intelligent. As he leaves the confines of the college he teaches at, he gets right to work on his side hustle – working as part of a team of agents who catch people in the middle of criminal acts, in particular, those looking to have someone killed.
At first, Gary works in the sound department while another agent steps in to take on the role of the hit man. However, when Gary fills in one day, he unveils a knack for embodying a range of characters. To that, he is asked to remain in his position as their fake hitman. From here, Gary becomes a master at his craft, donning a plethora of outfits, using various accents, and truly immersing himself into his role as a hitman. However, things soon get complicated when he enters a relationship with Madison (Adria Arjona), a woman who enlists his services but changes her mind.
How Much of the Story Is True?
In the movie, Gary gets so deep into his dilemma that he resorts to desperate measures. As Madison’s ex-husband seeks to get Madison killed, Gary must now work out how to protect her. On top of this, Gary’s colleague Jasper (Austin Amelio) becomes increasingly suspicious of the pair. By the end of the movie, Jasper confronts them and blackmails them. To that, the movie takes a dark and surprising turn and Gary and Madison kill him. As stated in the end credits, this did not happen and was purely for dramatic purposes. However, many elements of the movie are true.
Much like he is presented in the movie, the real-life Gary Johnson was a polite lecturer who taught general psychology and human sexuality. Johnson lived in Houston and collaborated with local law enforcement on covert operations. However, in the movie, the location is changed to New Orleans. Johnson would meet with people looking for hit men while wearing a wire to extract confessions. According to Texas Monthly, Johnson’s colleagues referred to him as “the Laurence Olivier of the field” due to how natural he was at acting. During his time working for the police, he helped detain around 70 people who were looking for contract assassins. He assumed many personas, including tough motorcyclists and sophisticated country club patrons, using names such as Mike Caine and Jody Eagle.
In terms of the romantic plot line that takes centre stage of the movie, this was also written in for dramatic effect. Johnson reportedly did have many women throw sexual advances his way while working undercover, but he never acted on them. In Richard Linklater‘s Hit Man, Gary is divorced and living a rather bleak life with his cats until he meets Madison. In the real story, Johnson had been divorced three times by the time he began working with the police.
Where Is the Real Gary Johnson Now?
The real-life Gary Johnson was born in 1947. He grew up in rural Louisiana and served in the Vietnam war before he began teaching. At the end of the movie, he is described as an “animal-loving Buddhist”, and the “chilliest dude imaginable.” Linklater found himself drawn to Johnson’s story, feeling that it was a story that hadn’t been told before in cinema. To that, he partnered with Glen Powell and screenwriter Skip Hollandsworth to bring the story to life, but with added fictional elements as mentioned.
Johnson wasn’t directly involved in the project but was aware it was happening. Linklater chose not to meet with Johnson but carried out extensive research. When speaking about the process, Linklater said: “I listened to him a lot in old recordings and read a lot of what he did in police debriefs. We were creating a moment in time for Gary, not where he is now. Sometimes when you meet the real-life people, you meet them in a different phase of their life and it can taint who they used to be.” Sadly, Gary Johnson died shortly before filming began in 2022. His cause of death is unknown. If you enjoyed Hit Man, here are 5 crime comedies that strike a similar chord.
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