Glen Powell is lethal, likable in 'How to Make a Killing' – Review
Glen Powell is lethal, likable in 'How to Make a Killing' – Review
Brian Truitt, USA TODAYWed, February 18, 2026 at 2:01 PM UTC
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Glen Powell tests the limits of his considerable charisma as a serial murderer in “How to Make a Killing.” It helps that the audience is rooting for this dude from the jump in a darkly comedic thriller that's a scrappier effort than "The Running Man" or "Twisters."
Powell’s inherent likability is key playing a protagonist who's set to inherit an 11-figure fortune if he assassinates a handful of relatives, though the movie itself struggles to mix tones. “Killing” (★★½ out of four; rated R; in theaters Feb. 20) clumsily flits between wry humor and serious drama for much of the runtime before finally finding its satirical bite.
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Becket (Glen Powell) scopes out the best way to take out a cousin in the darkly comedic thriller "How to Make a Killing."
Written and directed by John Patton Ford (“Emily the Criminal”), the loose adaptation of the 1949 British comedy “Kind Hearts and Coronets" centers on Becket Redfellow (Powell), the result of a one-night stand between a well-to-do 18-year-old heiress, Mary (Nell Williams), and a random party cellist (Damien Wantenaar). When Mary won’t give up the baby, she’s disowned by patriarch Whitelaw (Ed Harris) and exiled to New Jersey from her family’s palatial Long Island estate.
Mary surrounds her young son’s middle-class life with posh aspects – archery practice, piano lessons – and tells him he deserves the family's billions just as much as anyone. “Promise me you won’t quit until you have the right kind of life,” she tells Becket on her deathbed. As he becomes an adult, Becket has that line running through his mind, and that, combined with him losing his job and a chance encounter with childhood pal Julia (Margaret Qualley), sparks a murder plan.
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All he has to do is take out seven people and Becket will be rich beyond measure. Nobody would miss a few of his cousins – daredevil playboy Taylor (Raff Law), pretentious artist Noah (Zach Woods) and paranoid megachurch pastor Steven (Topher Grace) – though kind uncle Warren (Bill Camp), Becket's unassuming girlfriend Ruth (Jessica Henwick) and femme fatale Julia complicate matters.
Suffice it to say, some family members get offed – most of them are jerkfaces, yes, and Becket’s mindset is understandable. But as an exploration of that old adage about money and happiness, the narrative seems a bit lightweight. Though our protagonist does wrestle with his morality and what he needs to be truly content, it ultimately feels unearned, though a third-act confrontation between Becket and Whitelaw lends a needed boost of gravitas.
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Powell, however, has a knack for making schmucks shine (see: "Chad Powers," "Top Gun: Maverick") and does his part to bring out Becket’s complexities. It's his best work since "Hit Man," in which Powell played a fake killer rather than an actual one.
In "How to Make a Killing," he’s able to navigate his character’s initial awkwardness when it comes to bloodshed as well as the desperate intensity when his entire life begins to teeter precariously. And among the supporting players, Woods is the most game of the wacky relatives, Qualley’s a hoot as an antagonistic presence, and Camp, a venerable character actor who’s always a great sight to see, is pretty much the heart of the movie.
There are shades of better films – a little “Wolf of Wall Street” here, some “American Psycho” there. It's not a wealth of greatness, yet with a smattering of sharply written scenes, Powell finding a nice blend of heroic and dastardly, plus a smart coda, "Killing" does a good enough job as a watchable piece full of nasty comeuppance.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'How to Make a Killing' review – Glen Powell is a likable killer
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
