4/10
After a box office flop with The Running Man, Glen Powell is looking for a comeback. Unfortunately for him, How To Make A Killing, a loose adaptation of the 1949 film Kind Hearts and Coronets, is his second straight box office failure. The dark comedy is expected to have a 55% drop in total box office earnings this past weekend, despite being screened in 101 more theaters than its debut weekend.
This lack of fanfare makes sense. Not only did the movie not market well (Powell’s name recognition apparently means nothing), but the plot is dull, the script is cringy, and the performances are fine at best. It’s safe to say that no one will remember this release in a couple of weeks. In fact, many will never even discover it.
The film follows Becket Redfellow (Powell), a retail store worker who grew up isolated from his wealthy family after his mother was disowned for a teen pregnancy. As a young boy, his world was shaken when his mother passed away, but not before reminding him to live the life he deserves. Years later, Redfellow decides that the best way to follow through on his mother’s dying wish is to murder his relatives who are standing in the way of his inheritance. Redfellow, while on death row and confessing to a priest, narrates his own story. Unfortunately, Powell’s voice grows old quickly, and his smug tone becomes one of the most annoying parts of the movie.
Throughout How To Make A Killing, Redfellow makes his way through the family tree, discreetly taking down his three cousins, uncle, and aunt. As this continues, his motivations for murder become increasingly unclear. His life doesn’t seem all that bad. By now, he has become well established, with a respected position in Wall Street finance and a loving fiancée, Ruth (Jessica Henwick). The movie half-heartedly tries to explain that his desire for murder comes from a slight sense of thrill, but Powell’s performance is unable to harness any of the psycho energy of a man who just needs to keep killing and enjoys it. Instead, he feels more like a normal guy, making the storyline feel extra awkward.
The film also attempts to convince the audience that Redfellow is so emotionally invested in his mother’s dying wish that he couldn’t possibly stop trying to fight for his inheritance. Unfortunately, Powell is simply unable to convey feeling. He’s completely wooden, preventing any sort of investment in the film’s big emotional moments. It’s clear that Powell is much more suited for smaller side roles. Ones where you see him less.
Powell’s performance is just one of the aspects contributing to the film’s number one issue, its lack of personality. No one in How To Make A Killing is having any fun. Very few of the jokes land, and the “cute” romantic moments between Redfellow and Ruth are sure to make moviegoers want to sink into the plush seats of the theater in embarrassment. The scene where they sync up while talking about classic English literature still makes me squirm.
Despite the lack of substance, How To Make A Killing’s style certainly shines through. The color grading is fantastic, giving every shot a vibrant and vintage look. The film certainly stands out compared to many other modern film releases. It skilfully avoids the classic “Netflix lighting,” where everything just looks gray.
Another bright spot is the addition of Julia Steinway (Margaret Qualley). Steinway is Redfellow’s childhood crush, who discovers his secret and blackmails him. Qualley serves as an effective antagonist, embracing the pure evilness of her character in a way that is endlessly entertaining. It’s a real shame that the best performance in the film barely gets any screen time.
After what feels like hours of Redfellow’s boring murder spree and pathetic character work, the movie finally picks up some steam. The last act features a surprisingly suspenseful scene of Redfellow attempting to escape his murderous grandfather, Whitelaw Redfellow (Ed Harris). Harris is convincingly terrifying and manages to spark some much-needed character for the film.
How to Make a Killing ends disappointingly for Becket, who escapes death row to gain a life of luxury with little happiness. Actually, it’s more like a disappointment for us. This finish had the potential to be meaningful. It could have given the audience a classic reminder of the dangers of greed and the evil of the rich, very fitting for current times. However, the lack of emotional connection to the characters and the predictability of the plot cause it to fall flat. The ending does not feel earned.
The easiest way to describe How To Make A Killing is forgettable. You could say it failed to meet expectations, but let’s be honest, there weren’t any to begin with.
