HOW TO MAKE A KILLING is a 2026 dark comedy drama thriller film written and directed by John Patton Ford. The script was loosely inspired by the 1949 British film Kind Hearts and Coronets by Robert Hamer and John Dighton.
Disowned at birth by his obscenely wealthy family, blue-collar Becket Redfellow (Glen Powell) will stop at nothing to reclaim his inheritance, no matter how many relatives stand in his way.
The cast includes Glen Powell, Margaret Qualley, Jessica Henwick, Bill Camp, Zach Woods, Topher Grace, and Ed Harris.
HOW TO MAKE A KILLING made its debut in theaters February 20th, courtesy of A24.
I really like Glen Powell a lot so I was pretty excited for this movie when it was announced, plus the fact that a A24 was involved was a huge plus for me as well. I will admit that once the official release we came around, I was surprised at how limited it was. None of the theaters near me had it, and I honestly wasn’t sure if it was going to get a wide release at all.
Thankfully, the film hit my local theater in week two and I made my way over there on the first day it was out. Because it was already out a week I saw some of the initial feedback and it wasn’t great honestly, at least not what I expected. I didn’t look at the actual reviews, but I just saw a few headlines calling out Powell for having two flops, including this and The Running Man (preview and trailer here). But as per usual, I’m not going to let my opinion be swayed so I went into the theater with an open mind, although I was a bit more skeptical because of the negativity.
Honestly, I really liked HOW TO MAKE A KILLING. Right out of the gate, I would say that the tone of the film may have rubbed some people the wrong way just in terms of the fact that it’s a bit I guess darker than maybe some people would’ve thought, but in my opinion I thought it still had a good mix as far as a fairly well rounded dark comedy.
I will point out that the film is inspired by Robert Hamer’s 1949 film, Kind Hearts and Coronets, and that can often lead to some negative feedback for people who loved the source material and were expecting a different direction in the movie. I did not see that film but after doing some research it was fascinating how much of the story they kept the same while making some great changes to the ending. I thought the film was interesting throughout and was very funny. Glenn Powell was great in his role, and it just had a unique blend of moral grey area in terms of what this character ended up doing throughout the film and why.
I actually really liked how the film set the stage for the story. The film opens with Glenn Powell‘s character telling the story to someone after it already happened, so he more or less ends up narrating a good majority of the film. This added a certain level of intrigue, because you already knew sort of where he ends up by the end, but are constantly left guessing how he got there. The story in general was very interesting and filled with various eccentric characters, which is made even better by the fact that the cast really was great. I thought Glenn Powell was awesome as I said, and HOW TO MAKE A KILLING had one heck of a supporting cast.
The two other lead characters are played by Margaret Qualley and Jessica Henwick. Qualley plays Julia, a love interest of Becket’s from the early years who he crosses paths with later in life. She becomes a big part of the story and Qualley was really good in her role. Henwick plays the girlfriend of one of the Redfellow’s cousins who Becket ends up winning over in a very unorthodox way.
Henwick is much more of an underrated actress compared to Qualley but I thought she was gorgeous and her character really helped to balance out the tone of the film and Becket’s “double life”. Small roles that are very deserving of honorable mention go to Bill Camp, Topher Grace, Zach Woods (Silicon Valley), and last but certainly not least my guy Ed Woods, the patriarch of the Redfellow family.
What I loved most about the story is you really felt for Glenn Powell‘s character and the bad hand that he was dealt, and for that reason I had a hard time disagreeing with some of the questionable choices he made. I also liked that nothing was ever a cut and dry, so it’s not like you have the sociopath character to the point where you know more or less what they’re going to do. His character was driven by a desire to get what he felt he deserved, and several easy to dislike characters made things a bit easier on him for sure. Plus, I was impressed with the twist at the end that definitely caught me by surprise.
THE VERDICT
A fun and clever dark comedy drama full of eccentric characters and a certain infectious energy, HOW TO MAKE A KILLING kept me engaged from start to finish with a satisfying final act. I’m not sure I understand the criticism of the film unless perhaps people were expecting a full on comedy or full on drama, but for me the balance of dark comedy with a drama feel is what makes the film so entertaining.
TED TAKES RATING - 7.6/10
HOW TO MAKE A KILLING is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.