Hit Man is a 2023 American romantic crime comedy film produced and directed by Richard Linklater, who co-wrote the screenplay with Glen Powell.

The basic premise was based on the true story of a college professor who worked for the Houston police in the late 1980s and 1990s as a fake hitman, as described in a 2001 magazine article by Skip Hollandsworth.

When Jasper, an undercover detective who portrays fake hitmen to solicit and then prevent murder-for-hire schemes is suspended for brutality, Gary is unwillingly ushered into the role.

After being kicked out by Madison, Gary returns to the police, who reveal their evidence on her is building after discovering Ray increased his life insurance policy before he died.

Madison drugs Jasper's drink, causing him to pass out, and Gary ties a plastic bag over his head, planning to stage his murder as a suicide.

Before the 2022 Cannes Film Market, Hit Man was announced to international buyers with Richard Linklater directing and writing and Glen Powell starring and producing.

The screenplay, based on the article "Hit Man" by Skip Hollandsworth published in Texas Monthly in 2001, was written by Richard Linklater and Glen Powell, who also directed and starred, respectively.

[4][5] The article told the true story of Gary Johnson, a college professor who worked for the Houston police in the late 1980s and 1990s, pretending to be a contract killer.

[27] In another positive review, Alissa Wilkinson of The New York Times described Hit Man as "romantic, sexy, hilarious, satisfying and a genuine star-clinching turn for Glen Powell".

[30] However, Zachary Barnes of The Wall Street Journal noted a lack of subtlety, calling Gary's lectures in philosophy class "overly obvious as expressions of the movie's themes".