How much nudity is actually in this?

There is significant 'simulated' sex and partial nudity (mostly Glen Powell, but some female nudity as well). It's more than a standard PG-13, but it stops short of being pornographic. It's 'steamy' in a way that might be awkward to watch with your parents or your kids.

Is it based on a true story?

Yes, Gary Johnson was a real guy who worked for the Houston police. However, the entire romance plot and the 'trouble' he gets into with the client were invented for the movie. The real Gary was much more of a quiet, lonely professional.

Is there a lot of violence?

Surprisingly little. There are a few tense moments and one specific scene involving a death, but it's not an 'action' movie. The 'violence' is mostly Gary talking about how he would kill someone.

Is it okay for a 13-year-old?

Probably not. Between the heavy sexual themes and the complex philosophical dialogue, most 13-year-olds will either be uncomfortable or bored. Wait a couple of years.

Hit Man – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Hit Man

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

movie2024

86%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

Glen Powell plays a nerd playing a killer in this surprisingly smart, sexy, and philosophical rom-com masquerading as a thriller.

95%

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Hit Man

movie

R, 2024

86%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

Glen Powell plays a nerd playing a killer in this surprisingly smart, sexy, and philosophical rom-com masquerading as a thriller.

95%

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Screenwise Verdict

Hit Man is a rare beast: a Netflix original that actually feels like a real movie. It’s smart, funny, and genuinely sexy, anchored by a star-making performance from Glen Powell. It takes a wild true story and uses it to ask big questions about whether any of us have a 'fixed' identity or if we're all just playing roles.

Don't let the title fool you into thinking this is a mindless action flick. It's a Richard Linklater film, which means it's talky, thoughtful, and more interested in the sparks between two people in a room than a car chase. For parents of older teens, it's a great pick for a 'grown-up' movie night that won't feel like homework.

Age Fit

This is for the 15+ crowd. It's a sophisticated 'adult' movie in the best sense—it assumes the audience can handle sexual heat and moral gray areas without needing a lecture. Younger teens will likely be bored by the philosophy and over-stimulated by the bedroom scenes.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

It's a humanistic look at identity, but the plot revolves around murder-for-hire stings and a messy, ethically compromised romance. Not 'clean' by any stretch, but the tone isn't cynical or mean-spirited.

Imaginative

Richard Linklater turns a true-crime premise into a brilliant exploration of performance and personality. The way the protagonist constructs different 'hitman' personas for different clients is creatively top-tier.

Safe

This is firmly for adults and older teens. It features significant sexual content, nudity, and frequent strong language. The violence is mostly conceptual or brief, but the moral safety is low—the 'hero' breaks a lot of laws.

Enriching

It’s basically a philosophy lecture on the 'self' disguised as a sexy thriller. It invites deep thinking about whether we are who we're born as or who we choose to pretend to be.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Glen Powell's range is the main event; watching him cycle through various fake hitman personas is a masterclass in screen charisma.
It's a philosophical deep-dive on identity disguised as a popcorn movie, asking if we can actually 'fake it until we make it' into a new personality.
The chemistry between the leads is electric, making the romantic stakes feel much more dangerous than your average Netflix original.
Director Richard Linklater brings his signature intellectual wit to a genre—the hitman movie—that is usually just about gunfights.

⚠

What to Watch For

The movie is unapologetically adult with its sexuality; there are several intense, prolonged scenes that go way beyond PG-13 vibes.
The protagonist is a police mole who ends up helping a potential criminal cover up a crime; if you're looking for a clear-cut moral hero, this isn't it.
Despite the title, there is very little action; it’s a dialogue-heavy movie about psychology, not a John Wick clone.

Conversation Starters

"If you could create a completely different version of yourself to get through a day, what would that person look like?"
"At what point does Gary stop 'playing' Ron and actually become him?"
"Is it possible to fall in love with someone if you only know the 'character' they are playing?"
"Does the movie make Gary's choices seem okay because he's charming, even though he's obstructing justice?"

Deep Dive

The Linklater Touch

Richard Linklater has spent his career making movies about people talking—whether it's the Before trilogy or Boyhood. With Hit Man, he takes that talky DNA and grafts it onto a noir-ish thriller. The result is a film that feels like a throwback to the 90s, when movies could be funny, smart, and erotic all at once without needing a superhero to show up in the third act.

Based on a (Very) True Story

The movie is loosely based on a 2001 Texas Monthly article by Skip Hollandsworth about the real Gary Johnson. While the real Gary was a mild-mannered guy who was arguably the greatest 'fake' hitman in history, the movie takes his life and turns it into a high-stakes romantic fantasy. It’s worth reading the original article after watching to see where the facts end and the Linklater-isms begin.

Why it Matters for Teens

If you have a 16 or 17-year-old who thinks they've seen everything, Hit Man is a great test of their media literacy. It challenges the viewer to root for someone who is doing objectively 'bad' things. It’s a perfect bridge between the black-and-white morality of blockbuster cinema and the messy, complicated world of adult drama. Plus, it’s just a blast to watch Gary cycle through his various disguises—from a Tilda Swinton-esque weirdo to a slick, Patrick Bateman type.

What Parents Ask

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