The movie *Hit Man* (2023), directed by Richard Linklater and co-written by Glen Powell, is a darkly comic, romantic thriller inspired by a true story. Powell stars as Gary Johnson, a mild-mannered professor moonlighting as a fake hitman for the police.
Tasked with luring would-be criminals into sting operations, Garyβs ability to adopt different personas makes him highly effective. However, his life takes a dramatic turn when he develops feelings for a woman, played by Adria Arjona, who seeks his services to escape her abusive partner. This moral conflict leads him to question his own identity and choices.
The film is based loosely on the real Gary Johnson, a law enforcement officer who worked undercover in Houston to expose murder-for-hire plots, using his adaptability to pose as an assassin. While the real-life story has serious undertones, the film blends humor, romance, and philosophical musings about identity and morality
