How To Make A Killing (2026)

Glenn Powell (Top Gun Maverick, Twisters, Anyone But You) plays Beckett Redfellow, the apparent eventual heir of a multi-billion dollar fortune from the Long Island-based Redfellow clan.....only he's the eighth in line after his late mother was pushed out of the family right before he was born.  So inspired by the sudden reappearance of Julia (Margaret Qualley) a seductive socialist he has had a crush on since childhood, he decides to embark on a unique mission to move up closer to that inheritance by murdering everyone else in the Redfellow clan one-by-one.  The Redfellow family members who are his targets are played by Ed Harris, Zach Woods, Bill Camp, and Topher Grace among others.  Directed by John Patton Ford (Emily the Criminal), let's find out exactly HOW Beckett lives up to the title of this film. 

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

Transcript

HOW TO MAKE A KILLING - 2026

Directed by John Patton Ford

Starring Glen Powell, Jessica Henwick, Margaret Qualley, Bill Camp, Zach Woods, Bianco Amato, Raff Law, Sean Cameron Michael, Grady Wilson, and Ed Harris

Genre:  Neo-Noir Thriller (Audio clip)

If this SAME type of darkly comic thriller came out about thirty years ago...it possibly would have starred Eric Stoltz or Woody Harrelson, had a smaller budget, would have been much sleazier, and likely had an even grimmer ending. The '90's were probably a PEAK era for modern Neo-Noirs where some seemingly good-natured handsome dude feels tempted by greed and the allure of a femme fatal....makes some bad decisions which have fatal consequences....and eventually pays the price. 😮 Writer/director John Patton Ford (who gave us the excellent Emily the Criminal a couple of years ago) is trying SO hard to make that kind of throwback thriller - in the vein of a Wild Things or The Last Seduction - and even though he gets only about 2/3 of the way there, the result is still a pretty fun time at the movies.

Much of the fun comes from Glenn Powell in yet another natural movie star performance as Beckett Redfellow, the apparent eventual heir of a multi-billion dollar fortune from the Long Island-based Redfellow clan....only he's the eighth in line after his late mother was pushed out of the family right before he was born.....and he's now living modestly in New Jersey while struggling to make it in nearby Manhattan. 🙄 So inspired by the sudden reappearance of Julia (Margaret Qualley) a seductive socialite he has had a crush on since childhood, he decides to embark on a unique plan to move up closer to that inheritance and....which all pretty much revealed in the title. 😜

It's a fun premise, apparently loosely based upon the 1949 film Kind Hearts & Coronets starring Alec Guinness. (Which I'm embarrassed to admit that I haven't seen. 🙄) And at a lean relatively breezy 105 minutes, this thing moves at a brisk pace actually getting better as it goes along but....some flaws come through in execution, elements which likely come from this film being released in 2026 vs 1996. 🤔 

The biggest issues are the overexplained set-up with voice-over (such an expositional crutch of 21st century movies) AND an conclusion which I don't think completely works even though it is kind of thematically consistent with the rest of the story. Now likely studio-mandated ending rewrites (which this feels like) were actually a BIG thing in the '90's so that's nothing particularly new. However what weakens this ending is ONE particular casting choice and how that character is written....which I’ll get to in just a bit. 

There are still plenty of pleasures to be had especially from the supporting cast including fun performances from Bill Camp, Topher Grace, and Zach Woods as other members of the Longfellow clan whom Beckett encounters along the way. SPEAKING of which, the actual murders.....I like how they're portrayed, often in clever ways and often after the fact. :) Gratefully the film never lingers on them nor gets particularly gruesome which is just refreshing....especially for a new release from A24. ;) The amount of actual time devoted towards the planning and execution of each murder feels pitch-perfect, lending a playful tone to most of the film. 

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film):

Next to Powell’s performance, the strongest aspect of this film might be its score…..a mix of synth and orchestral which is both whimsical and tense, I REALLY liked it.  And it comes to us from a relatively new up-and-comer whom I had not heard before who has only been doing this for about ten years with less than twenty credits, though he SEEMS to specialize in A24 movies…..quality films too, though disappointingly I haven’t seen any of them as of yet: The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Kajillionaire, and recent Oscar-winner Minari.  I’m referring to New York City’s own Emile Mosseri. (Audio clip) 

It’s got a pretty soothing, trippy vibe to it, along the lines of several scores which Carter Burwell has done for the Coens or the jazz-infused scores David Holmes did for Soderbergh’s Ocean’s trilogy.  Now just to once again demonstrate my ENTIRELY mixed feelings for this film….my favorite piece of music is probably the most bombastic, the most pronounced version of what seems to be a recurring musical theme throughout the film AND it probably occurs over what might also be my least favorite moment in the movie.  Strange I know….as I listened throughout every track of the score which is posted on YouTube, I KEPT coming back to this track as it’s pretty gorgeous music…..VERY much out of a Coen Brothers film too which might be why I like it so much.  If I’m being honest, I just DON’T particularly buy what’s occurring on screen when it plays….regardless, not going to spoil too much as this is heard towards the end of the film, the track is called, “The Note.” (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film):

Now back to CASTING, the biggest issue: '90's thrillers like this (with the major exception of Madonna in Body Of Evidence) generally nailed the femme fatale character who drives the story. Margaret Qualley plays that character here - she's an actress I have generally been on-board with as she was the best thing about the otherwise lame neo-noir Honey Don't last year. But she was playing a more earnest character in that....in The Substance, she WAS pretty much playing the "object" of desire in that film but more effectively as vacant empty-shell. (Kind of the point of that film) 

In THIS story as Julia, she's going for some one seductive AND very smart....Kathleen Turner in Body Heat, Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct....and not only does the screenplay not give her nearly enough to convey that but Qualley is playing it just too reserved. What weakens her character even more is that Beckett is given a genuine love interest Ruth (nicely played by Jessica Henwick) who is not only given significantly more screentime but actually played with more edge. The choices Ford makes with these supposed polar opposite characters pretty much prevents this story from fully reaching its goals, along with Qualley's performance. (Yes her character LOOKS seductive in a couple of critical moments but that's the extent of it) 

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

If I had to choose ONE of the various murders which our lead protagonist commits…..it would have to be the second one, I just find it the most clever.  As this film JUST came out, I don’t want to spoil things TOO much….but let’s just say that it involves a photo booth and a cigarette. 

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

And at the end of the day, Glenn Powell carries yet another morally questionable protagonist with sheer charisma and wit as he did for the (far superior) Hit Man. Powell IS a movie star (even after The Running Man) and I'm glad that he's continuing to work with talented filmmakers like John Patton Ford. I just wish that the whole package surrounding him worked better.  By default….Glenn Powell is the MVP. 

Final Rating: 2.7 stars out of 5 

Yeaah….another tough one for Mr. Powell as previous episode The Running Man was definitely one of the more disappointing films for me from 2025.  But once again, NOT his fault….and there’s certainly talent involved here, not giving up on John Patton Ford either as I like what he’s at least TRYING to do – Emily the Criminal, good movie too check it out on Netflix. 

Now Playing In Theaters

And that ends another ASPIRATIONAL review!