"Promise me that you won’t quit until you have the right kind of life."
Written by Mariane Tremblay
After Emily is the Criminal (2022), John Patton Ford comes back with his second feature film, How to Make a Killing, starring charismatic Glen Powell (Top Gun Maverick, Twisters, Hit Man), Margaret Qualley (The Substance, Kinds of Kindness, Blue Moon), Jessica Henwick (The Royal Hotel), and Ed Harris (The Truman Show, Mother!, The Hours). Only to name a few.
Disowned at birth by his obscenely wealthy family, Becket Redfellow (Powell) will stop at nothing to reclaim his (28 billion) inheritance, no matter how many relatives (seven, just like the seven deadly sins, how fitting) stand in his way.
It is quite difficult not to listen to your mother and not to feel that your life has just taken on meaning and a new direction while she is lying on her deathbed, asking you to keep going, and never stop until you finally have "the right kind of life." But what would be that life? Is it about financial security? Recognition? Revenge? The validation of proving everyone wrong? How to Make a Killing keeps circling back to the idea of "the right kind of life," but never fully interrogates what that actually means, because let’s be honest, getting rid of the relatives standing in your way probably isn’t what mommy thought about.
How to Make a Killing is a dark comedy-thriller that will undoubtedly entertain some viewers. But are a few good scenes and well-delivered lines enough? I wouldn’t say so. Ultimately, Patton Ford’s movie relies more on the charisma of its actors (this cast knows how to charm viewers) than on its script and brings nothing new to the "Eat the Rich" subgenre, only leaning into clichés and predictable plots. Unlike other movies of the same genre, Patton Ford’s How to Make a Killing doesn’t fully commit to its satire and feels strangely restrained, as though it were afraid to bite the hand it pretends to devour. The movie could’ve definitely pushed its absurdity to uncomfortable extremes. But alas.
This movie had a lot of potential, but unfortunately, it sorely lacks innovative ideas and development that could have kept the audience on the edge of their seats. Instead, we remained comfortably seated for 105 long minutes, letting out a few laughs here and there. Nothing truly unforgettable.
What hurts the movie most is its uneven pacing; the lack of characters’ development, their relationships, and their screen time, which leaves too much to be desired. We end up learning almost nothing about the Redfellows, and some of them only appear for a few seconds, to the point that their fate left me completely indifferent. Getting to know the characters, more of their personalities, their backgrounds and spending more time with them could’ve been so much more enriching, allowing the viewer to experience far greater "satisfaction" by the end, much like in a movie such as Ready or Not (2019).
However, on a good note, the cinematography by Todd Banhazl and lighting are incredible—a visually very pleasing film reminiscent of Soderbergh's work on Black Bag (2025), which I loved. Just like in Soderbergh’s sexy spy thriller, some scenes are shrouded in deep shadows, creating mysterious vibes, while some of them are excessively bright. Overexposed even. Not only does the contrast between the two exposures add to the movie’s atmosphere, but it also reflects Beckett’s inner conflicts and the moral ambiguity of his journey to (finally) get the right kind of life.
But aside from its visuals and incredibly charming cast, How to Make a Killing turns out to be a rather disappointing and uninteresting film.
How to Make a Killing is now playing in theatres.
Photo courtesy of VVS Films
Movie synopsis from Letterboxd
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