Hit Man Director Praises Netflix After Other Studios Don’t Want to Take Chances Anymore
Ever since the rise of the MCU and the big-franchise releases, getting a non-franchise release off the ground is becoming increasingly difficult, not just in the world of movies but in the realm of entertainment in general—even gaming and television.
This is confirmed by the celebrated director Richard Linklater in one of his recent interviews, stating that studios initially didn’t want to make his recent movie Hit Man, which turned out to be a success, just because it wasn’t a safe bet, fortunately, Netflix stepped in and gave Hit Man a life while also earning praise from the director.
Hollywood Doesn’t Put Money Behind Movies Like Hit Man
Before we start, Netflix’s Hit Man has absolutely nothing in common with the famous video game series or its adjacent movies. Instead, it’s a black comedy about Ron (Glen Powell), a cop who goes undercover as a hitman to arrest those who hire him.
Somewhere along the way, he’s hired by a woman who wants him to kill her abusive husband; however, instead of killing her husband, the two begin a romantic relationship, with Ron trying as hard as possible to hide his true identity. It’s an interesting premise if you’re into romantic black comedies.
A Hit With Everyone
It’s worth noting that Netflix’s Hit Man gained massively positive reviews, with a Certified Fresh rating of 98 percent on the Tomatometer and a 95 percent audience rating.
This kind of success screams universal acclaim from the top of its lungs at the same studios that didn’t want to take a chance with it on account of it not being connected to a major franchise. Linklater revealed that he had some rather frustrating conversations with studios and representatives who wanted something they could call a safe bet.
The Film Is Not What You Expect
Some wanted Netflix’s Hit Man protagonist to be a real hitman, which is definitely something that’s at least similar to any of the premises we’ve seen before.
Bruce Willis‘ RED and its sequel, for example, are just that: romantic action comedies in which the protagonist is a former government-sanctioned killer who falls in love with a civilian after he has retired. So, making something original isn’t as easy as it sounds, especially if you’re hindered by studios who only want to invest in a sequel or an origin story inside a previously established franchise.
Linklater Blames Marketing Departments For The Current State Of Movies
In the same interview about Netflix’s Hit Man, Linklater also added that things for the movie industry have changed and that new projects are now greenlit by great studios’ marketing departments instead of anyone who understands their audience.
This is really important; granting too much power to marketing while failing to understand the audience’s wants and needs usually leads to situations such as the current state of the MCU. For those who don’t know what we’re talking about, Avengers: Endgame was the last great MCU movie, but the rest are just low-quality cash grabs.
Hit Man Is On Netflix
In the end, it doesn’t really matter because Netflix’s Hit Man found its home on Netflix and in our hearts. Numbers rarely lie, and the fantastic rating this movie has received from critics and the audiences makes it one of the best films made in 2023 and definitely worth 115 minutes of your time.
Source: Variety
