So you took a classic film in which Sir Alec Guinness plays eight different roles … You remade it starring Glen Powell, Hollywood’s current king of cosplay … And you asked him to play exactly one character?! Well, this isn’t nearly as fun as it could be. You’ve sucked out most of the comedy this film might offer with that decision alone.
How to Make a Killing is a remake of the classic black comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets. If you are reading my words and haven’t seen it, go see it. I’m told it’s available for free on Tubi as of this writing. The basic plot is a man grows up cheated of the wealth he should have been born into, and decides to take matters into his own hands to make sure he inherits. And by matters, I mean killing each and every relative between he and his would-be inheritance. On its face, this is sick and demented, but handled in the context of “well, he should have had a better life … and these guys are all dicks, anyway,” we can appreciate the humor in the idea.
The young man in question is Becket Redfellow (Powell). Years ago, his mother was part of the over-endowed Redfellow family. These are people who shat money. During yet another tiresome gala, young Mary fell for a musician, got pregnant, then disowned, and eventually moved to New Jersey. The would-be husband dies in child-birth (as men are apt to do), which might have been a whimsical irony if handled a little differently. As a result, Becket grows up poor, only knowing that he should have had a better life without experiencing any of it,
Mom dies and Becket comes to a decision in her wake: eliminate all the other relatives. Don’t sweat it, they all have it coming. In the original, Alec Guinness plays all of the extended family members getting bumped off. This added to the comedy not only in our delight with Guinness’ many performances, but also that it felt like the film was just killing the same guy over and over and over. Here, Becket preys on the trail of every Redfellow. Also, this isn’t the early 20th century in Britain. These people will be missed; the department of justice will take notice; hence there will be more to this task than just Becket and his conscience.
The film starts with a very cool Becket on death row, just hours before his own execution telling his story to a priest. He’s awfully cocky for a guy who is gonna be dead soon. And he relays his tale. The problem, of course, is the killings start quite easily: disguised as a boathand, Becket encounters his cousin Taylor, a snobby douchenozzle, passed out drunk on his own yacht. Becket nooses the anchor rope to Taylor’s leg, and starts to contemplate the morality of his upcoming actions when fate takes the final decision away, tipping the anchor into the water and letting gravity do all the work. Is Becket still guilty? Hell, yes. But this way, we’re all spared the dueling shoulder angel/devil
moment. The film is like this, often sparing Glen Powell choice acting opportunities by letting the plot take over. None of this explains why Becket dresses like an AIDS victim to off his cousin Noah.
Also in the mix is Becket’s would-be girlfriend Julia (Margaret Qualley). Glen and Margaret are the future of Hollywood, so it seems right to have them paired together for this film, regardless of how underwhelming the result.
How to Make a Killing has nowhere near in the entertainment capacity of Kind Hearts and Coronets; I wish the film had some fun in the style of the original and make Powell or Qualley or both play a few different roles. This would have let the audience in a little better on the dark humor involved. As is, How to Make a Killing isn’t a bad film; it’s a polished, semi-dark remake, but it’s a good bet it will be forgotten as soon as either of the leads releases a bigger film. I expect this to happen no later than August.
There once was a young heir named Becket
Who grew up without a blank check-et
He discovered his line
And decided, “It’s fine
I’ll just take the family tree and wreck it”
Rated R, 105 Minutes
Director: John Patton Ford
Writer: John Patton Ford
Genre: Wasn’t this … ?
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Fans of classic film
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Fans of classic film
