The Many Faces of the Hit Man

In this episode of "Critics at Large," Naomi Fry, Vinson Cunningham, and Alex Schwartz delve into the archetype of the hitman in culture, sparked by Richard Linklater's new movie, "Hitman." They discuss the film's meta-narrative, where Glen Powell plays a man who pretends to be a hitman, and debate its moral ambiguity. The conversation broadens to include iconic hitmen in movies like "Collateral," "Pulp Fiction," and "No Country for Old Men," examining how these characters reflect societal fantasies, violence, and morality. The hosts also explore the hitman as a modern flâneur, observing contemporary life through films like "The Killer" and "Aggro Drift," and touch on the trope of the hitman seeking redemption in works like "John Wick" and "Barry." Finally, they solicit summer obsession voice memos from listeners for a future episode.