Among all the films that were released recently, I feel like Glen Powell’s latest, How to Make a Killing, leapt onto the screen without much fuss or discourse. Which is a bit of a bummer, as this was a pretty fun little flick that’s only elevated by the ridiculous screen presence of its lead actor.
The setup is simple. Powell plays Becket Redfellow, an average 30-something-year-old living in New York City who is actually part of the uber-wealthy Redfellow family. His mother had a fling when she was 18 and instead of getting an abortion, elected to keep her child and accept exile from the family, who refused to support her in any way, shape or form. But by the nature of the family name and trust, Becket is part of the family inheritance, albeit last in line due to his being the youngest living member. But a chance encounter with a childhood friend plants an idea: why not just kill his family? He couldn’t do that, could he? As it turns out, he can, and he’s shockingly not too tripped up by it.
The movie could have easily fallen into the trap of having Becket descend into madness and become a full-blown serial killer, a la American Psycho, of which there are certainly shades in this film. But Becket maintains his composure, telling himself that his family are scum (they largely are) and they don’t deserve to live after what they did to his mother. He also ends up building a legitimate bond with his uncle Warren and ends up forming a budding relationship with Ruth, who was going out with Becket’s cousin Noah when they first met. Their relationship builds a strong foundation for the film, and the film ultimately asks the question of why Becket is doing what he’s doing when he’s already rich in other aspects of his life, while also not being ripped apart by his crimes. Is it really for the money, for vengeance? What is driving him, considering how things are playing out for him? At the same time, his childhood friend Julia continues to pop into his life, attempting to coax Becket down a certain path. Her dialogue is often very hammy and on the nose, which I wasn’t too crazy about at first, but by the end, I did understand why they laid it on thick with her character. Becket often seems repulsed by her, while she continuously tries to insert herself into his life in increasingly encroaching ways.
Apart from Powell’s charisma as Becket, I really liked the writing in How to Make a Killing. Written and directed by John Patton Ford, it’s my kind of dark humour that makes you chuckle at something you probably shouldn’t have been laughing at in the first place. It’s sharp and often merciless, resulting in a scathing critique of the ultra-wealthy. This is very much an “eat the rich” kind of movie, but also a film that explores the themes of wealth, status, greed, love, and desperation quite effectively. I’m not so sure the movie would’ve worked as well had it not explored the relationships with both his uncle, as minor as it was, and Ruth, which is really the heart of the movie. I do think the movie overrelied on voice-over narration to explicate to us, though. I’m all for a good voice-over in films, but only when it helps the overall narrative, and not just serving as info dumps.
I think the movie could’ve explored some of these themes a bit more and delved more into the drama and the more negative psychological aspects of this kind of murder spree. Since it doesn’t, we’re left with a protagonist who is hard to sympathize with, but at the same time, that’s kind of the whole point of the movie. I know the reviews for this movie have been very mixed due to this very nature, and I think it could have used a bit more layering, but overall, I did like the morally bankrupt messaging the movie presented and enjoyed this one in the end!
