John Patton Ford’s “How to Make a Killing” begins as many crime comedies do, with an inmate awaiting execution and a witness arriving as an audience surrogate.
That lets us hear how this scoundrel confesses behind bars as to how he got to this unfortunate place.
Here, the prisoner is Becket Redfellow (Glen Powell), who is apparently incarcerated for murder. The feature-length flashback that follows shows us how Becket’s journey to oblivion couldn’t have been predicted.
To avoid spoiling anything specific, Becket immerses himself in his family history, as he is entitled to an enormous inheritance from the patriarch of the Redfellow family (Ed Harris). At first, Becket is simply trying to get to know his extended family members, who are all insanely wealthy, colorful and, on some level, rotten to the core.
The further he goes in engaging himself with the wealthy is when he decides to stop being an observer and take matters into his own hands.
Powell, whose prior film was Edgar Wright’s unloved remake of “The Running Man” (2025), is back in a darkly comic vehicle not unlike his 2023 triumph, Richard Linklater’s “Hit Man.” He also played a kind of con artist in that Netflix romp.
While Powell is not in danger of being typecast, it’s fitting that he’s so good here. Becket Redfellow is exactly the kind of juicy role that fits him, with verbal and character dynamics that suit his strengths. Ford’s witty screenplay would be impossible for any great actor to turn down, as the ensemble indicates.
The problem with “How to Make a Killing” is ultimately that it hasn’t been directed with the kind of showmanship it deserves.
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Ford, whose prior work was as writer/director of the Aubrey Plaza vehicle, “Emily the Criminal” (2022), is a stronger writer than filmmaker. Some early moments have a roving camera and clever edits. The film could have used so much more of that, as the screenplay crackles, but the filmmaking is functional, and the look overall is bland.
I’m not saying this needed to be as wild as a Coen Brothers thriller to succeed, but the wild twists in the story go a long way to making this crackle more than it should.
“How to Make a Killing” is ultimately a movie of moments. Margaret Qualley’s key supporting character is more of an extended plot device than someone the narrative needed (the more I think about it, the less I believe her presence in the story and how it connects with Becket’s journey).
On the other hand, Topher Grace has a killer, single-scene cameo appearance. Zach Woods is hilarious as just one of Becket’s spoiled, empty-headed relatives, Jessica Henwick is excellent as the only kind figure in Becket’s life and Bill Camp is terrific as a Redfellow who becomes Becket’s mentor.
As expected, Harris is sensational. He’s a big reason why the third act is such a crowd-pleaser.
I liked “How to Make a Killing” a lot, laughed often and was taken aback by the growing complications of the finale. Even the ending, which doesn’t go where you think it would, is satisfying and just right.
I wish Ford had given this the kind of filmmaking finesse that made Danny DeVito’s “The War of the Roses” (1989) such a great dark comedy (in fact, one of the best). Still, as another ideal vehicle for Powell and a welcome sleeper in a season that typically doesn’t provide audiences with a real gem, it’s worth seeking out.
Three Stars (out of four)