In the most complimentary way possible, this film is exactly what mainstream blockbuster popcorn films SHOULD be.

I have to admit, I went into this one mostly unfamiliar with Glen Powell but absolutely aware of his existence due to the fact that he seems to be in a film every four to six months at the moment. My assumption going in, with some passing knowledge of how his other films have been received, was that this would be another example of a Hollywood actor spread too thin across multiple projects, resulting in something generic and mostly forgettable. To be honest, from a plot perspective, that is exactly what I got. The film takes little time to establish motives for most of the characters, and relationships seem to be formed at times by a simple glancing smile across a table. But Glen, and to a lesser extent Margaret (due to a relative lack of screen time), make this a funny and engaging film that I think I would recommend to almost anyone. To me, this film is like a brilliant burger spot. It’s simple, no frills, but gives you exactly what you want—unless you’re a vegetarian and know without even engaging with it that it’s not for you. If you don’t want to see an action comedy that’s happy to mostly gloss over plot holes and realistic consequences for a fun “popcorn movie,” then skip this one.

Almost all of my positive feedback, to be honest, is directed at Glen. But I do have quite a few issues with other elements of the film. I think by making the murder plots in each case a simple 30-second description to the viewer, it glosses over a central element that I think this film missed. The turn to psychopathic killer has its explanation, but other than a clip at the start of the film showing him being taught to use a bow, we really don’t get a justification for how he comes to learn all of these methods to execute the murders and also get away with them. If it wasn’t for Margaret’s cunning, he would have gotten off mostly scot-free other than some suspicion from FBI agents who don’t really add much tension to the idea of consequences. There have been a lot of films lately that run the action comedy route where an average guy has an event and is now a bloodthirsty killer, but usually they give at least some explanation for the inevitable plot armour. Here, the film just decides Glen is now an expert chemical assassin.

The romance felt unearned and really didn’t bring the required conflict for me when it came to the final arc. I mean, I walked out of the cinema unsure if they even showed the moment where they got engaged. I know on the balcony he asks her to move in, but when does he ask her to get married? Or is that just the same conversation? If so, he himself says it’s quick, and we really don’t SEE a lot of their romance on screen. We are just told how much he loves her. But by creating a romance that is underwhelming, it plays down the idea of him missing the engagement party, and it absolutely affects the final scene where he gets into the car with Margaret to choose that life. And honestly? I’m glad he did. If the film went on for another 20 minutes where he leaves all the money behind to chase this love that just doesn’t feel earned on screen, it would have left a sour taste. But him embracing the “evil” and just going with Margaret in a way solidified how little the romance meant but also pleased me, as I’m glad that a film of this size is happy to make its lead end up a bit of a slimeball. Films like this will create a lead who murders at the drop of the hat, but then when it comes to love they feel they need to paint him as a saint figure. I’ve seen some critics complain about the ending, and to them I say: why did you expect him to do the upstanding thing when you’ve watched him murder people for 90 minutes? And we didn’t even see them properly in love!

Anyways, fun movie. More of this please, Glen.

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