A dark comedy featuring gallows humor is totally my jam, and after reading the synopsis of How to Make a Killing, I was excited for a wild, possibly absurd ride. Inspired by the film, Kind Hearts and Coronets, which is based on the novel Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal by Roy Horniman, writer/director John Patton Ford (Emily the Criminal) helms this adaptation starring Glenn Powell and Margaret Qualley. The comedic material is all there, the cast is quite solid and entertaining. However, the movie is lacking the style, swagger, and attitude that a sardonic and farcical comedy really needs.
Powell stars as Becket Redfellow, an estranged member of the wealthy and powerful Redfellow family. Becket’s mother was ostracized from the family when she becomes pregnant with Becket during her teen years. Though Becket can thank his mother for managing to provide for his care, life has never been easy. Completely done with working thankless, dead-end jobs, and wanting vengeance on the family that abandoned him and his mother, Becket decides to start eliminating his relatives that stand in the way of his birthright.
Though Patton makes some witty and creative choices with the presentation of the story, the style of the presentation lacks pizzazz, zip, and panache. Also, I feel the movie loses more steam during the middle and ending acts. The movie’s run time is only 105 minutes, but the last half of the film starts to drag, making the run time seem longer. On the positive side, I still laughed and smiled often. I enjoyed the characters and how they were portrayed by the cast.
Both Powell and Qualley are perfectly cast here. Powell’s boyish charm and use of self-deprecating irony works well for the character. And while the movie, overall, lacks attitude, Qualley nearly makes up for this deficit with her sassy and sexy turn as Julia Steinway, a childhood friend and crush of Beckett who has grown into dangerous temptress who knows how to pull his strings. From the supporting cast, I enjoyed the comedic performances of Zach Woods, Topher Grace, and Raff Law. These actors portray Becket’s cousins-turned-targets. All of whom are clueless douchebags. It is hilarious to watch each and every one of them on the screen, and a tad satisfying to see them taken out.
I just wish the overall film was more satisfying. It isn’t a total waste of time, and it still has its entertainment value, but I bet it loses some of this strength with repeat viewings over time. How to Make a Killing fails to absolutely land impactfully, and is probably a movie which will ultimately be forgotten.