Following up on his debut feature, Emily the Criminal, John Patton Ford has now released his sophomore film, starring Glenn Powell as the leading man. How to Make a Killing, though an exciting premise, is perhaps three years too late in the canon of dark comedy class commentaries.
Inspired by the film Kind Hearts and Coronets from 1949, which follows Louis D’Ascoyne Mazzini, who plots to murder his relatives to inherit the family title ‘Duke of Chalfont’. This adaptation updates the tale to suit modern sensibilities.
Whilst the film is velvety in its appearance, it fails to pack a punch.
Synopsis
How to Make a Killing narrates the life of Becket (Glenn Powell) whose mother kept him against the wishes of his billionaire family. She was ostracised and financially cut off, becoming a single mother in New Jersey. Becket grew up with stories of the Redfellow inheritance, a staggering $28 billion.
In his adulthood, Becket works a demeaning tailoring job and bumps into his childhood crush, Julia Steinway (Margaret Qualley), who jokingly plants the idea of killing off his family members to get the family inheritance. As a result, Becket can’t stop thinking about it, and after losing his job, he sets out to put this plan in motion. Will he be able to kill off his disgustingly rich family members without getting caught? Will that sparkling family fortune finally be his?
The writing
Written and directed by John Patton Ford as a thriller comedy, the film aims to satirise late-stage capitalism through its themes of class, greed and American exceptionalism. On the surface, it is an exciting idea with interesting characters involved, but some feel underdeveloped. For example, the two main female characters in Becket’s life.
Julia exists as a sort of femme fatale character. She feigns innocence, but at the same time exists to manipulate Becket for her own gain. This is a very simplistic take on the character, perhaps expanding on her limited power, and the circumstances driving her to mess with Becket would have made for a more multi-layered character. We fall into the same issue with the character Ruth (Jessica Henwick), who trades a job in the fashion industry for teaching, and is the girlfriend of Becket’s cousin, Noah Redfellow (Zach Woods). She exists as an altruistic good in Becket’s life. Someone who is down to earth and humble but comes across as two-dimensional. Ford is capable of creating complex female characters, as showcased in Emily the Criminal.
Becket as a character lacks depth himself. One has no clue what he is thinking because he doesn’t make his aims explicit, causing his motivations to become muddled. Moreover, the plot devices speed through the more exciting elements of the story. Becket’s potential murders of his family members are very simple but are ultimately a let-down, as the drama arises from whether he will continue on this murderous path, rather than how he will do it.
Despite this, Ford proves himself a poignant writer of dialogue. Moments of speech are eloquently delivered by Ruth, Becket’s potential love interest: ‘Why doesn’t anyone tell us to dream small?’ Lines like this resonate with audiences, as they directly contrast the otherwise unrestrained ambition present within the film.
The direction
Ford’s directorial approach to this film aims to keep it witty, biting, and tense. Only the aspect of tension is fully achieved. This film is filled with moments where audiences will be on the edge of their seat, but some scenes certainly missed the mark. For instance, the more comedic elements seemed to fall flat – audiences barely laughed at the humour.
Additionally, the film sticks far too closely to the original adaptation, which prevents it from standing out. The story beats are the same; the only difference is that it is set in a modern American context, rather than 1940s Britain.
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The performances
Glenn Powell has been making waves as Hollywood’s leading man. Best known for his roles in Top Gun Maverick and romantic comedy Anyone But You, he reminds viewers of the conventional Hollywood star with his classic, all-American look. Although this film in particular requires Powell’s performance to be more inward-facing. Becket’s character partakes in a dangerous dance of appearing normal, whilst also being a killer. Can Powell pull it off? Kind of. It’s by no means a terrible performance, but at times you can’t tell what the character is thinking or feeling, making it difficult to connect with him.
The performances of the main female leads, Henwick and Qualley — whose characters portray the archetypal angel and devil — are stifled by the script, which restricts them to stock characters. The rest of the ensemble is perfectly fine, but due to the repetition of ‘asshole billionaires’ characters of late, it becomes tiring to watch.
The editing
Some of the editing choices hampered the film’s impact. At one point, Becket and Ruth need to have a serious sit-down conversation, and this was cut from the film. Was this conversation filmed? What was said? The film forgoes this scene which makes its ending fall flat, causing the film to lose its higher stakes. We don’t get the sense that Becket has a lot on the line.
Standout elements
The cinematography is polished and absolutely gleams on screen, and the music choices are phenomenal. The film features songs like Take Me Back To Piaui by Brazilian songwriter Juca Chaves, a jazzy track from the 1970s.
Is it worth watching?
How to Make a Killing adds itself to the canon of eat-the-rich flicks. But ultimately, its messaging feels quite repetitive. It’s a shiny film with well-known actors, but some of its editing choices and characterisation hold the film back. It may be better known as How to Make a Three-star Film.
