Phil Roberts 
How To Make A Killing is a fun and breezy slice of killer cinema. Although the plot feels safe and never pushes the boundaries of its material, it’s a fun, quirky, immersive rags-to-riches story with a killer pulse.
If you’re like me, a glorified Glen Powell groupie, you’ll be packing cinemas this weekend to check out his latest effort, How To Make A Killing. The film, written and directed by John Patton Ford, is a loose remake of Kind Hearts and Coronets and pits Powell against his estranged, super-wealthy family, who kicked him and his mother to the curb decades earlier. The plot is pretty simple. Powell’s Becket Redfellow hatches a cunning plan to bump off his loathsome relatives and reclaim his rightful place as the heir to the family fortune. Sounds like a banger, right?
Well, if it sounds like your thing, you’ve come to the right place. Powell slips into the murderous shoes of his scorned former trust fund brat and gets down to bumping off the competition in this light and breezy family feud. But can Powell’s contemporary touch update this old-school narrative for modern audiences? Or is How To Make A Killing the dud that derails the Glen Powell party bus?
REVIEW
Fear not, readers, because John Patton Ford’s How To Make A Killing is a fun and breezy slice of killer cinema. As always, Glen Powell expertly leads the stellar ensemble cast through this compelling knife-twisting revenge caper. Although the plot feels safe and never pushes the boundaries of its material, it’s a fun, quirky, immersive rags-to-riches story with a killer pulse. With sensational performances from Margaret Qualley and Jessica Henwick, the film is a delightful slice of murderous cinema that will hit all the right notes before vanishing from memory as bigger and better fare hits our screens. In the end, the film is a Friday-night banger that won’t live long in the memory, but will make for adequate regular viewing once it hits digital.
OLD SCHOOL ANTICS
Although John Patton Ford works tirelessly to update the material, the film never truly feels more than a throwback to a bygone era. The onset of modern technology is an inconvenience that derails most of the 60s intrigue, but the sharp screenplay counteracts any missteps the film has. The main problem the film faces is Powell himself. By now, the actor is known as the charming rogue or confident pilot, far from the sleazy, money-obsessed former trust-fund kid driven by revenge. However, the screenplay tries to soften this by portraying Powell’s Becket Redfellow as the rejected black sheep of the family. The story insists we sympathize with Beckett, making any wrongdoings he commits seem justified. The problem is, we never feel that invested in his predicament.
From the opening moments, Beckett complains about the flavor of cheesecake he has been served, hinting at his arrogance. However, with his lovable smile, confident demeanor, and chiselled good looks, we never truly believe he’s a bad guy. Far from it, even when the going gets tough, and the body count starts to mount, Powell is still the rom-com-esque hunk for all occasions, and it derails any killer edge the film attempts to convey.
KILL COUNT
Even the reasoning behind Beckett and his mother’s banishment from the family feels like a throwback to the 1800s, and sadly, the director fails to add much more depth to the backstory. In the end, it boils down to a retro scandal the family can’t tolerate, so young Beckett and his mother, Mary, played by Nell Williams, are banished from the family and from the luxurious lifestyle they once enjoyed. Bizarrely, Beckett is allowed to grow up alongside his estranged family, including his childhood crush, Julia Steinway, who instantly feels like a bad apple.
Fast forward two decades, and Beckett finds himself living in a rundown apartment while working as a tailor to the rich and famous. But a chance meeting with the now-grown Julia, played by the delectable Margaret Qualley, rekindles his animosity toward the Redfellow family, and soon he finds himself contemplating the unthinkable: bumping off his relatives and taking his rightful place as the heir to the Redfellow family fortune. So naturally, he throws caution to the wind and sets about trimming the family tree.
REDFELLOW FODDER
For the most part, the family members standing in his way are the pinnacle of upper-class scumbags. There’s Ed Harris as the ice-cold patriarch, and Topher Grace flexes his sleazebag muscles as the image-obsessed, born-again pastor/Christian rocker. Zach Woods swaps The Office for the photography studio as arrogant but talented photographer Noah Redfellow, and Raff Law enjoys the fruits of his trust fund as Taylor Redfellow, Becket’s cousin. But perhaps the most compelling Redfellow in the bunch is Alexander Hanson as McArthur Redfellow, Beckett’s uncle.
Although McArthur is on the list for elimination, he throws a wrench in the works by making amends for shunning Beckett when he was a child. Pretty soon, Beckett is working for his uncle as a high-profile broker, and their relationship grows into a de facto father-son dynamic. It is one of the finest plot points in the film and highlights the true nature of family dynamics, and in truth, watching Beckett and McArthur grow into a lovable duo is worth the price of admission alone.
FEM-FATALES
But if you were thinking the film’s edge was beginning to blunt, enter Margaret Qualley’s Julia to add the threat back into the mix. To be clear, Qualley revels in this newfound, vile role, and she quickly becomes the villain of the piece. So much so that she adds a new dynamic to the film whenever she is on screen; this is more than a scene-stealing performance; Qualley literally dominates the film and brings the killer instinct Powell lacks. It quickly becomes double-trouble for Powell when his love interest Jessica Henwick’s Ruth enters the fray.
Henwick only appears near the halfway point, but as soon as she makes her debut, she establishes herself as the film’s most valuable asset. In fact, her energy is infectious, and she oozes with the innocence and strength of a true leading lady. Her portrayal of Ruth serves as the perfect counterpoint to Qualley’s coiled snake, and the juxtaposition is a joy to watch.
DIRECTION
With a cast as talented as this, John Patton Ford has all the ingredients of an instant classic on his hands, so it feels bizarre to say the film never really reaches the heights it aims for. But sadly, the film never delivers enough to make it exceptional. Ford’s directorial style makes for electric viewing. His screenplay is slick, witty, energetic, and punchy; his camerawork is exceptional, and the cast delivers where it counts, but it never feels like enough. Despite Powell delivering another glowing performance that will keep his fans appeased, we never truly find his killer alter ego believable. The audience can’t shake his lovable rogue persona, and that makes his dastardly deeds all the more unfathomable.
Qualley, on the other hand, is a different beast. As Julia Steinway, she has found a character she can sink her fangs into, and her performance is all the more enticing as a result. After her standout performance in The Substance, I’ve been waiting for the next role that will elevate her acting chops, and in Steinway, she seems to have found it. She literally oozes venom with every action, and if looks could kill, we’d all be trimmed from the family tree, such is the power of this performance. So, if you’re looking for an excuse to book tickets, look no further.
VERDICT
Overall, despite its faults, How To Make A Killing is a delightful slice of killer cinema. Although the film never becomes more than the sum of its parts, they more than make up for any disappointment. Margaret Qualley and Jessica Henwick deliver mesmerising performances, Emile Mosseri conjures a retro throwback soundtrack, and Todd Banhazl’s gorgeous cinematography makes the film one of the most vibrant of the year so far.
While Glen Powell might feel miscast, his charm remains undeniable, and his natural charisma, winning smile, and sharp looks provide plenty to enjoy. It’s just a pity we never truly find ourselves invested in his quest to cut back the Redfellow family tree. Under different circumstances, the film could have been exceptional. Still, despite the love infused into the project, it amounts to little more than a fun, breezy slice of killer cinema that will be overshadowed by better fare. It may not be Powell’s defining moment, but there’s more than enough quality here to make How To Make A Killing a killer Friday night banger!
Death Row awaits!
How To Make A Killing brings the murder spree to cinemas on March 11.
Meet Phil Roberts! He’s the dedicated owner, daily content manager, and editor-in-chief of The Future of the Force. Phil is a budding novelist who turned his passion toward writing about the franchises he loves back in 2016. He’s a huge fan of all things Star Wars, Batman, DC, Marvel, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, King Kong, and the Ray Harryhausen movies. Phil is a BFI-accredited journalist and a distinguished member of the Film Critics Association UK.
If he’s not catching a movie at the cinema, you can bet he’s streaming something just as awesome!
