The limits of Glen Powell’s charisma are tested in “How to Make a Killing,” a dull black comedy in which he plays a character who takes up serial killing for sport in order to receive the 11-figure inheritance he feels he’s owed.
Powell plays Becket Redfellow, born to a mother who was ex-communicated from her insanely rich Long Island family when she became pregnant with him. When she dies at an early age, she makes Becket promise he’ll go after his fortune and earn what’s rightfully his.
How? By killing those who stand in his way, of course.
No one will miss these rich, pretentious jerks, including Becket’s cousins Taylor (Raff Law), a hard-partying playboy; Noah (Zach Woods), a hack artist who calls himself the “white Basquiat”; and Steven (Topher Grace), a scam artist megachurch pastor. Becket has no moral qualms with unaliving these dopes, and the movie treats them as simple pawns in Becket’s way until he captures the queen, which is his nearly $20 billion fortune.
But there’s another queen on this chess board, and that’s Julia Steinway (Margaret Qualley), Becket’s childhood crush, who comes back into his life and sees the murderous moves he’s making. She’s several steps ahead of law enforcement, who apparently aren’t trying very hard to put together the pattern of Becket’s killings.
Ed Harris and Bill Camp also figure in as Becket’s family members, and Jessica Henwick plays his girlfriend. But the story loses itself as it abandons reason and attempts to riff on the superrich and our cold, bloodless quest for wealth.
“How to Make a Killing” is written and directed by John Patton Ford, whose 2022 debut film “Emily the Criminal” was a much more perceptive look at a life lived on the margins of the law, which was able to whip up palpable tension while also holding up a mirror to our current class system. “Killing” is a jumble of tones, attempting to shift from satire to thriller to morality play, and it spins its corrosive finish as an act of contempt for its audience.
As for Powell, he’s still got a whole lot of charm and likability, but not enough to carry this misbegotten effort through. It’s slick but empty and barely manages to leave a mark, let alone make a killing.
agraham@detroitnews.com
‘How to Make a Killing’
GRADE: D+
Rated R: for language and some violence/bloody images
Running time: 105 minutes
In theaters
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: ‘How to Make a Killing’ review: Darkly comic satire misses its mark
Reporting by Adam Graham, Detroit News Film Critic / The Detroit News
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