Linklater’s Latest Hit, “Hitman”
Adria Arjona and Glen Powell in Hitman
Throughout his career, and from one film to the next, Richard Linklater has a remarkable ability to shift, chameleon-like, between vastly different tones, styles, and structural approaches. His latest film, “Hitman”, can be seen as a cross-section of everything he’s become so good at, in a simple, non-pretentious, yet absurdly fun adventure movie. It promises a romantic thriller, and overdelivers on both fronts with such exactitude and simplicity that it puts the massive flamboyant productions of this summer like “Fall Guy“ and “Mad Max: Furiosa” completely to shame.
Linklater is one of my favorite directors because he’s created such a diverse repertoire out of one simple idea: “Life is filled with ordinary moments that can be turned into extraordinary stories." In his indie cult classic "Slacker," he meanders and hops between seemingly mundane moments happening to authentically quirky characters in Austin, Texas. From the laid-back, nostalgic haze of "Dazed and Confused" to the dreamy, existential wanderings of "Waking Life," his films can execute story structure flawlessly, and at other times claim not to follow any semblance of a plot at all, but always succeed in speaking to genuine human moments of connection, perplexity, and insight. They can feel at once like Hollywood blockbuster comedies and obscure experimental midnight film festival programming. When I saw "School of Rock” in theaters, it provoked one of the few, genuine, explosions of audience applause once the end credits hit. Meanwhile, the trilogy encompassing "Before Sunrise", “Before Sunset”, and “Before Midnight”, patiently accompanies a pair of lovers as they wax philosophical on European sidewalks, reflecting on their mutually maturing identities as their relationship endures and falters over the course of 3 decades. "Boyhood," (winner of Best Picture in 2015) was secretly filmed every summer over the course of 12 years, chronicling a boy's journey to adulthood in one of the most astonishing experiments in approaches to storytelling.
In his latest film, "Hitman," Linklater accomplishes a contradiction: it’s a crime thriller that keeps things thrilling without the disturbing darkness and violence that has become a pre-requisite of the genre. It’s light, hilarious, exhilarating, but doesn’t shy away from prolongued, intellectual musings like, “Can we just decide to be someone?” Without elaborate set pieces, over-the-top visual effects, or fancy cinematography, it builds up to such an effectively suspenseful climax that it’s truly a wonder how Linklater accomplishes it. I think the key is simply what he has practiced for decades: sparking an authentic, electric chemistry between the love interests in this story, much like he did with Ethan Hawke’s and Julie Delpy’s characters in the “Before” trilogy. There’s a classic moment in “Before Sunrise” where the two, having only recently met, are standing side by side listening to music in a booth of a record store. Without saying a word, their performances communicate such awkwardness, tension, innocence and delight, as they each try to catch glimpses of each other without seeming to stare or give away too much interest.
Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy in “Before Sunrise”
Most mainstream movies try to force the “extraordinary story” without earning it first. Both “Before Sunrise” and “Hitman” are the epitome of Linklater’s ideal, full of “ordinary moments” like life itself. That’s the magic ingredient that Linklater never fails to deliver, and what makes his stories truly extraordinary.
