Directed by John Patton Ford — Screenplay by John Patton Ford.
John Patton Ford’s How to Make a Killing is a black comedy thriller about the wealthy Redfellow family and its inheritance. Before our film’s protagonist, Becket (played by Glen Powell), was born, his mother was disowned for choosing not to end her pregnancy prematurely. When he loses her, the rest of the Redfellows stay as far away from Becket as they had been during his mother’s adult life. After encountering a woman named Julia (played by Margaret Qualley), whom he knew when he was younger, he decides to avenge his mother and fight for the life she deserved by trying to murder the family, one by one, so that he can claim the family inheritance.
I greatly enjoyed John Patton Ford’s debut feature, Emily the Criminal, starring Aubrey Plaza, so when I heard his second feature was coming out this year, it instantly got a relatively high spot on my most anticipated films of the year list. The word of mouth for How to Make a Killing was nowhere near as strong as it was for Emily the Criminal, which worried me. However, having now finally seen it, I can say that I thought this film was quite entertaining. Though it definitely doesn’t feel as fresh as Ford’s directorial feature debut, How to Make a Killing is a consistently engrossing black comedy film with a killer cast that, among others, includes Jessica Henwick, Bill Camp, Margaret Qualley, Ed Harris, Zach Woods, Topher Grace, and, of course, Glen Powell in the leading role.
So, while I liked this film, I can, at the same time, understand why it didn’t win over audiences and critics. For one, I think the decision to open with a very revealing framing device with the lead character on death row was a bad decision, as I don’t think that foreknowledge does the viewer any good. I also think the framing device itself is almost in an energy mismatch with the character in the rest of the film. There’s a cockiness to the lead character in the framing device that doesn’t seem to fit perfectly with the character in the rest of the film. Of course, the character’s arc is supposed to build to this headspace (and the film does, sort of, explain his behavior), but I don’t fully buy the confidence with which the main character recounts the story and addresses a priest. It felt a little bit dishonest.
For as good as I do think it is, it also must be said that, for a black comedy thriller, it isn’t a laugh riot and it isn’t super suspenseful. The scenes in which Becket tries to take out the rest of his family tree are really entertaining, though. That said, the film is executed competently, but without the pizzazz to wow. Also, its ‘eat the rich’ story doesn’t present anything particularly novel. It’s a well-told story about a guy trying to take what was taken from his mother and him, but it lacks the freshness of Ford’s first feature. It also doesn’t help that, without revealing too much — early in the film, the lead character specifies that it’s a tragedy (though not necessarily in the way you may think) — the film ends on a little bit of a downer. Ford knows what he wants to say about the world with his ending, but even though the ending feels true to the story, it isn’t the kind of thing that puts a smile on your face.
I mentioned a lack of freshness, and, of course, it couldn’t be truly fresh as it was technically based on a prior release. It was inspired by Robert Hamer’s 1949 film Kind Hearts and Coronets, which notably features Alec Guinness playing eight different roles. I haven’t seen Hamer’s film, but once I learned that tidbit, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a missed opportunity here. Glen Powell’s best film is arguably Hit Man, in which he gets to play dress-up as a variety of types of people, and it feels like someone involved with How to Make a Killing really dropped the ball when it comes to playing around with that, given Powell’s reputation. Powell, who is good here, does get to dress up every once in a while (and act like he is someone he isn’t), but these disguises are rather low-key, so to speak.
The cast surrounding him is of varying levels of good, and, frankly, it feels like they’re in different films almost. Topher Grace and Zach Woods shine as Redfellow family members who are larger-than-life or colorful. Woods plays the character like he’s in a full-on comedy. The film really livens up whenever Powell shares the screen with them. The same goes for his scenes with Jessica Henwick, with whom he creates a rather charming romance. Camp and Harris are meant to add some gravitas to the proceedings, and they do. Harris doesn’t have much to do, however, and I kept thinking he merited a more active involvement in the film. Camp is note-perfect in the supporting role of a Redfellow who Becket learns to genuinely care for, as a father figure he never had before. Although I quite like Qualley normally, I felt something was missing between her and Powell. She’s going for a femme fatale kind of thing, but there’s no spark or sizzle between the two, despite her best efforts.
So, in conclusion, How to Make a Killing, John Patton Ford’s sophomore feature as a director, doesn’t fully reach the heights of his strong debut. Although the cast that populates the film, so to speak, mostly livens it up, it lacks the freshness to hit hard and the needle-moving flair to make it feel truly consequential or memorable. Nevertheless, it is still a competently made and effective black comedy thriller that is well worth the watch if this sounds like your kind of thing.
6.7 out of 10
– Review written by Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen.
