How to make a killing – REVIEW

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For decades, Hollywood has frequently revisited older stories with remakes and reboots. The latest example is a new take on “Kind Hearts and Coronets,” the beloved 1949 comedy famous for Alec Guinness’s incredible performance playing eight different characters.

How to Make a killing by Glen Powell

Glen Powell stars as Beckett Redfellow in this film, directed and written by John Patton Ford. The story begins with Beckett’s birth to a mother shunned by her family for being unwed. After both his parents die when he’s young, he’s bounced between foster homes. As a young, underpaid man, Beckett decides to claim the inheritance he believes is rightfully his. The catch? He’s eighth in line to receive it, so the film follows his attempts to eliminate his relatives – a plot reportedly favored by Prince Harry. However, we quickly learn Beckett’s plan didn’t go as expected, as he’s telling his story from a prison cell on death row to a priest.

Does How to make a killing slay?

Okay, so I just saw this, and honestly, it didn’t quite grab me. The story revolves around the protagonist reconnecting with a childhood friend and juggling his fiancé, all while, you know, needing to eliminate some family members – a pretty stacked cast including Raff Law, Zach Woods, and Topher Grace, but nobody really stood out. The biggest issue? Nobody was particularly awful, so I wasn’t exactly rooting for their demise, and neither was the main character a convincingly cold-blooded killer – it’s Glen Powell, and he’s clearly being set up as the charming lead. The murders themselves were pretty lackluster and lacked any real creativity. Plus, setting it in the present day creates a problem – it’s hard to buy that the FBI agents didn’t figure out who he was much earlier than after eight people were already gone. Overall, it just didn’t have the impact of the original.

A brief history of Ealing comedy remakes….

Other Ealing comedies haven’t fared well when remade – the Coen Brothers’ take on ‘The Ladykillers’ was a notable failure, and this new version of ‘Kind Hearts and Coronets’ follows that pattern. It’s disappointing, especially since director Ford’s previous film, ‘Emily the Criminal,’ was excellent, and its star, Aubrey Plaza, would have been perfect for the lead role here, alongside Margaret Qualley. Ultimately, ‘How to Make a Killing’ feels like a wasted chance.

Here’s the How to Make a killing trailer…….

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2026-03-11 04:23