Glen Powell’s new comedy, “Hit Man,” is one bold, funny and embellished ride inspired by a true story. The actor portrays Gary Johnson, a divorced philosophy professor who does tech work for the New Orleans Police Department on the side. When one undercover cop is put on a temporary leave, Gary is tasked to become the PD's fake hit man.
Gary, who lives his life seemingly unnoticed, begins to create a number of characters to catch people who are willing to hire a killer to do their dirty work. However, he gets caught up in his confident and suave Ron persona, eventually falling for a woman who wants to hire him to kill her husband. From there, the story takes unexpected twists and gives audiences a surprise ending.
Powell co-wrote and co-produced the action comedy with director Richard Linklater. The two tell TODAY.com that they took some creative liberties with the script, but “Hit Man” is inspired by a true story of an undercover hit man.
Read on to learn more about the life of the real hit man, Gary Johnson. Is 'Hit Man' a true story? Yes, and no. “Hit Man” is inspired by the October 2001 Texas Monthly article of the same name written by Skip Hollandsworth about the real Gary Johnson.
According to the article, Johnson was the “most sought-after professional killer” in Houston, Texas — but really worked for the cops. Linklater had read the article about 20 years ago, elaborating to TODAY.com, “I never forgot it.
But it was kind of on the back burner, as.
