Actor Austin Amelio is known in The Walking Dead universe for his portrayal of Dwight. This character was introduced in the main series and became the second crossover character within TWDU when his story moved to the first spinoff, Fear the Walking Dead, which concluded its story in 2023. Now Amelio stars in a new release on Netflix, Hit Man.
The movie is directed by Oscar-nominated Richard Linklater, well known for his comedy films Dazed and Confused and Slacker, and premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival in 2023. Hit Man was then featured at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, where distribution rights were purchased by Netflix for $20 million.
The film was released in theaters on May 24 and on the streamer on June 7. It quickly climbed to the top of the Netflix Top 10 Movie list. Hit Man is based on an article published in Texas Monthly in 2001 that was written by Skip Hollandsworth.
The story blends fact and fiction to tell the story of Gary Johnson, a psychology and philosophy professor at the University of New Orleans who also works undercover for the New Orleans Police Department. Johnson has a knack for assuming false identities, which he uses to aid the department in the capture of criminals. He must use all his skills when a client unexpectedly steals his heart.
Hit Man's story spans genres from noir to screwball comedy, but according to Linklater, the movie is “Ultimately, it’s a relationship movie.”
Hit Man cast
Amelia portrays Jasper, an undercover agent, with Glen Powell, who also co-wrote the film, as Johnson. Adria Arjona plays Johnson's love interest, Madison, with Retta and Sanjay Roa as police officers, Molly Bernard as Johnson's ex-wife, and Evan Holtzman as Madison's ex-husband.
Hit Man has received some negative reviews, but Netflix viewers really enjoy the film that currently has a 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The critic's consensus reads: "A deceptively dark thriller that's also loaded with laughs, Hit Man is an outstanding showcase for leading man Glen Powell -- and one of the most purely entertaining films of Richard Linklater's career."
Check out the trailer for Hit Man.
Hit Man reunites Linklater, Powell, and Amelio
In 2016, Linklater released his teen comedy Everybody Wants Some!! While it was considered a box-office bomb, the film is critically acclaimed and has an outstanding classic rock soundtrack. The story is set in the 80s and follows a group of college baseball players. Both Powell and Amelio starred in the movie that streams on several platforms including Prime Video and Paramount+.
