Coming to Irish cinemas is the thrilling How To Make A Killing, starring Glenn Powell as Becket Redfellow, a young man who believes he is owed a certain lifestyle and will do anything to get it.
Director John Patton Ford right out the gate shows you what kind of film this will be; there is a glamour about it with every character looking beautiful and charming, but there is an edge and a griminess underneath it all. The Redfellows are absurdly rich, but the majority of them are monsters in their own unique way. A particular favourite is Topher Grace’s Steven, who is a Pastor to his own Mega Church. Grace is suitably over the top and clearly is having a lot of fun with the role.
Glenn Powell is doing his best as a slightly more humane Patrick Bateman. With his looks and charm, you can’t help but be enamoured by him, as I said earlier, though there is an edge to him throughout the course of the film that never allows you to fully settle on him as the spotless protagonist. There is no doubt that by the end of this film, Becket is a Redfellow through and through. This is ultimately why I loved How To Make A Killing, the dirt of it all, the human relationships that are getting muddied up because of all this disgusting wealth.
Gun to your head
One victim of it is Jessica Henwick’s character, Ruth. Becket meets her while scoping out a victim, and they fall for each other. It’s a sweet romance, and watching this normal human being get pulled into the maelstrom of this wretched family is brilliant. On the other side of the spectrum is Margaret Qualley, who plays Becket’s childhood crush, Julia. She represents everything Becket has ever wanted, and she is awful. Unfortunately, you can’t help but be pulled into her destructive orbit because of how charming Qualley is in the role. Every scene she’s in, she robs.
Another element that will draw audiences in is the cheeky murders. There are a lot of innovative and ridiculous murders in this How To Make A Killing, and they are all eye-catching and thrilling. The film also looks great, with a slick style told through the eyes of Becket. One particular shot of him appearing from the darkness is a particularly impressive one.
As I was watching How To Make A Killing, I came to the realisation that my final thoughts of it would live or die, depending on its ending, and I can thankfully say that it nails it.
With a stellar cast, a cutthroat story and a lot of fun, How To Make A Killing is a film to check out when you head to your next cinema outing.
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