There is something quietly unhinged about a movie that opens by asking the audience to root for murder and then spends the next two hours making a surprisingly decent case for it. How to Make a Killing does not arrive with blockbuster noise or any kind of huge franchise baggage. This is a dark comedy that trusts you to sit with some uncomfortable ideas hoping to make you laugh while doing it.
Written and directed by John Patton Ford, the film centers on a well-mannered outsider played by Glenn Powell whose estranged family happens to be worth about twenty billion dollars. After an offhand comment from his dying mother plants a dangerous thought, he begins removing relatives from the family tree one by one. Not out of rage or desperation, but calculation. This movie leans fully into dark comedy territory, where the joke lands and then makes you question why you laughed at something that’s moderately sinister.
This fits neatly into A24’s recent habit of backing genre films that are a little riskier and a little meaner than traditional studio fare. Dark comedies have been creeping back into the conversation lately, especially ones that ask the audience to empathize with deeply flawed people. This one does not soften its premise to make it more palatable. It lets the idea sit there and dares you to keep watching.
Powell continues his meteoric rise as a star and carries the film with a performance that finally quells the idea that he is just a polished Hollywood product. He has the charm to pull you along even as his character slides further into a dark moral quicksand. Margaret Qualley brings a sharp and slightly unsettling energy as the sexy catalyst who nudges him toward action, while Jessica Henwick grounds the story with genuine emotional stakes. Her character introduces a real fork in the road that gives the film more weight than its premise initially suggests.
The film begins with Powell’s character already behind bars, framing the story as a retrospective confession and immediately signaling that his plan does not go as smoothly as he hopes. It is an effective hook that establishes tension early and will keep you waiting for the point where everything collapses. Where the film stumbles slightly is in its handling of time. Some of the key events feel compressed, making major developments in his timeline seem closer together than they likely are, which softens the sense of escalation. Even so, the sharp writing, confident performances, and underlying moral tension carries the film forward successfully
Final Verdict ★★★★☆
4/5 stars
Audiences should expect something dark, funny, and occasionally uncomfortable, with enough substance beneath the humor to linger after the credits roll. This is not a movie asking for universal approval. It is asking for your attention and a little moral flexibility.
Special thanks to Fons PR for hosting the special media screening.
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