How to Make a Killing, 2026.
Written and Directed by John Patton Ford.
Starring Glen Powell, Margaret Qualley, Jessica Henwick, Ed Harris, Bill Camp, Topher Grace, Zach Woods, Bianca Amato, Raff Law, Sean Cameron Michael, Maggie Toomey, and Grady Wilson.
SYNOPSIS:
Disowned at birth by his obscenely wealthy family, blue-collar Becket Redfellow will stop at nothing to reclaim his inheritance, no matter how many relatives stand in his way.
Framed as a lengthy story from a prison being told to a priest before execution, writer/director John Patton Ford’s How to Make a Killing flattens its narrative momentum through that structure, with the trade-off being the elevated intrigue of the cautionary morality tale at play. Though, that latter aspect does build to a deliciously thorny payoff with something to say about the ruling class, money, happiness, and relationships, challenging (arguably even shutting down) Wall Street finance worker Becket Redfellow’s (Glen Powell, as his character puts it, calm and collected for a man setting the record straight while on death row) philosophies waxed over what is essentially glorified narration.
Considering that in the flashbacks that make up the bulk of the film, Becket is gradually working towards killing off seven relatives and potential wealth inheritants of a family that disowned him and his mother ( before he was born (his parents also died young with no one stepping in to make the situation right), aspects of the film also play as a family edition version of a Hitman video game (which is doubly fascinating since Glen Powell has already played a variation of an assassin, albeit an untrained one) that disappointingly never pops with either the dark comedy or coldhearted viciousness required (something that is also reflected in Powell performance which mostly settles for charming rather than pushing the actor into either of those realms), despite some admittedly clever approaches to non-confrontational kills (also a staple of the previously mentioned video game series).
John Patton Ford treats much of Becket’s childhood (played by Grady Wilson at the time) and his mother’s story of her exile from the family as an extended prologue of sorts, equally focused on the boy’s budding friendship and crush on a young Julia (Maggie Toomey). who offers reassurance whenever insecurities bubble to the surface about being a poor Jersey kid, typically reminding him that his blood right is to the rich Redfellow family.
Tragedy strikes, forcing the two to never see each other again. However, between Becket’s mom and Julia, he is given all the motivation he needs to never give up on what is rightfully his, perhaps indirectly planting violent ideas in his mind over the years and into adulthood, when chance reunites him with the latter (now played by Margaret Qualley, frustratingly with nothing to do until the predictable prophecy realization that she will have everything to do with the third act, which doesn’t fully work since her character is less fleshed out and more plot device).
What follows is a simultaneous rushing through of murders that walk the line between slickly planned and amateur hour execution, while Becket’s inadvertently makes an acquaintance within the family (Bill Camp) who expresses regret over how casually and cruelly the family was ousted by its head, Whitelaw (Ed Harris). It’s also worth pointing out that this is the type of role with brief screen time that the legendary presence makes the most of, with callousness and words that ring throughout the rest of the story.
Similarly, Becket also rises the ranks of the job world, landing a financial boardroom gig while also finding himself in the middle of Julia, miserable in a fresh marriage, indecisive about coming back into his life, and Ruth (Jessica Henwick), a modest woman who has come to not care about the social status of her partners. Like nearly everything else here, this attempt at a love triangle doesn’t have much room to breathe, which diminishes the impact of the otherwise rewarding conclusion. The only appearances that work in short dosages are of the victim’s relatives, most notably Topher Grace as a scummy, strung-out Christian musician with swords in his office.
While I have a strong preference for film over television, it’s difficult to deny that How to Make a Killing has so many ideas and dynamics that it could have played out with much more depth in the latter medium. From the initial tragedy to the romances to the killings to the ultimate message, the film never settles into a rhythm that supports its characterization and narrative. It’s always brushing past the next element, seemingly only with getting to that somewhat juicy endgame on its mind. And yet, somehow, since we know Becket is in a jail cell, the film sometimes feels slow. There is plenty of killing here, including the killing of the material’s potential.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder
