Hollywood is desperate to find their next big superstar to lead big blockbuster films. The current crop of super stars are getting older; many of them are already in their 50s and 60s. They have been trying to turn actors and actresses into super stardom for almost two decades now, and so far, only a few have turned into a “super star”. The latest actor to get that treatment is Glen Powell. Every mega star has their big splash film to ignite their career. For Tom Cruise, it was Top Gun, Julian Roberts has Pretty Woman, Leo has Titanic, Will Smith has ID4, and Speed turned both Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock into superstars.

Last fall’s remake of The Running Man was supposed to be Powell’s big-splash film, but it flopped badly at the box office. His latest film received little to no marketing push from the studio, so has Powell’s super stardom already faded before it even started? We’ll have to wait and see. But personally, I enjoyed this smaller dark comedy film much more than his big-budget action film from last fall.

As the movie opens, Becket (Glen Powell) is on death row, mere hours from execution. He is being served his last meal, and a priest is there for his last confession. Knowing that he only has a few hours left to live, Beckett decides to tell the priest how he ended up on death row. His life began when his mom, Mary (Nell Williams), got pregnant at 18 years of age. She is from a wealthy family in NYC and wants to keep the baby. His grandfather, Whitelaw Redfellow (Ed Harris), doesn’t want a grandchild out of wedlock and told Mary to leave his estate and disowned her. She raised Becket on her own in the slum of New Jersey, but she kept telling him that he was in line to inherit billions of dollars from her family. She also teaches him how to be a gentleman in high society. His mom passed away when he was still in grade school, and Becket went through the rough foster system.

As the years gone by, Becket is now living in NYC and working as a tailor at a high-end men’s suit store. One day, his childhood crush, Julia (Margaret Qualley), happened to come into the store to shop for a suit for her rich fiancé. She noticed him, and they had a little conversation about their childhood, and she jokingly asked him when he would get a hold of his inheritance. Becket was embarrassed that he was not as well off as a working man. Later, his boss told him that he was being demoted to warehouse duties because the store owner’s son wanted to take his job at the store. Realizing that he can’t get ahead in life because of his status, he came up with a plan to get his hands on the billions of dollars that his grandfather owes him. To receive his inheritance, he must kill his cousins, uncle, and, of course, his grandfather.

Things get complicated when he falls for Ruth (Jessica Henwick), an ex-girlfriend of one of his cousins, whom he just murdered. Things get more complicated when FBI agents start to investigate the murders, and he’s one of the suspects.

The story is loosely based on a 1907 novel, Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal. The screenplay was written by John Patton Ford, who also directed the film. I didn’t know anything about the source material, so I can’t compare the film to the book. But I like what Ford has written. The movie reminds me of the early Coen Brothers’ films like Blood Simple and Raising Arizona. The trailer made it looked it’s a thriller, but this is more of a dark comedy and very little thrills.

The concept of eating the rich has been told in other films in the past, but it’s more relevant now than ever. Becket is basically the non 1% of today’s society. He can’t advance unless he cheats, or, in his case, he kills his family members to get ahead in society. While I enjoyed the script, I don’t think Ford is talented enough as a visual storyteller. I think under the direction of someone like David Fincher or Alfonso Cuarón, this film would be so much better. Ford doesn’t have the visual flair to elevate his script. I do have an issue with the ending, though. It felt a bit too neat, but I wanted to see something more bleak for the characters.

Powell is the star of the film, and he’s good here as the everyman type of character. But then he can turn into a serial killer like Patrick Bateman from American Psycho or a douche bag banker you see everywhere inthe  NYC financial district neighborhood. But to me, the stars of the film are Margaret Qualley and Jessica Henwick. Qualley’s Julia is the femme fatale who made life worse for Becket later, while Henwick’s Ruth is the moral character in the story. She’s a regular person whom Becket wants to settle down with, but he craves the larger-than-life lifestyle for himself. I’m glad to see Henwick in this type of role, and hopefully, she gets more dramatic roles in the future. She has always played the sidekick in an action film or just another token sidekick.

This is a fun dark comedy that could’ve been great with a more talented director behind the camera. But the performances by the actors and a good script made it worth watching. Is it something I would recommend you run out to see in theaters? No, this is a fine movie to watch on streaming.

So, have you seen How To Make A Killing? Well, what do you think?

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