How to Make a Killing Review

How to Make a Killing is an ensemble black comedy inspired by the 1907 novel Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal and the Ealing Classic Kind Hearts and Coronets. It’s a film aiming to tap into the growing ‘Eat the Rich’ sentiment

Becket Redfellow (Glen Powell) is the illegitimate son of the Redfellow dynasty. He is seventh in line to the $28 billion family fortune, and his mother, Mary (Nell Williams), tells him to earn the life he deserves. He decides to take drastic action by pruning the family tree so he can move up the line of succession.

How to Make a Killing has been in the works for a long time. The screenplay was on the 2014 Black List, and in 2019, a version was developed with Jon S. Braid (Filth, Stan & Ollie) set to direct and starring problematic actors Shia LaBeouf and Mel Gibson. The screenwriter, John Patton Ford, earned a lot of praise for his directional debut, Emily the Criminal, and he ended up taking on How to Make a Killing’s directing duties. Ford and his team were able to form an incredible cast. It was a shame the film was underwhelming.

In recent years, there has been an increase in ‘Eat the Rich’ films. Parasite became the first Foreign Language film to win the Academy Award for Best Film, whilst recently praised movies include The Menu, Triangle of Sadness, and Glass Onion. These are films inspired by the current political situation, with a growing wealth divide and the superrich getting richer, openly flaunting their power, especially in the United States. How to Make a Killing had the potential to be a catalytic experience where the audience could enjoy the worst people getting their comeuppance.

How to Make a Killing aimed to have a satirical edge with its critiques of generational wealth. The youngest members were overprivileged nepo-babies. Taylor (Raff Law) was a stockbroker thanks to his father and was an obnoxious party boy, whilst Noah (Zach Woods) was a pretentious, untalented artist who could live in comfort. One of the heirs was obviously modelled on Jeff Bezos since he wanted to go into space, whilst 90% of his employees don’t have health insurance. Nepotism was a running theme throughout the film; even Becket was able to get into Wall Street because of his family name. Talent was still required to succeed because one man ran his company into the ground because of his lack of ability.

How to Make a Killing updated the story to modern America, but its British origins were evident. The Redfellows were a WASP family who lived on a big estate, with the family patriarch banishing family members who broke the rules. Becket’s mother taught him how to be a gentleman despite their modest circumstances. However, Becket’s gentleman’s education didn’t play much of a role in the film, which was disappointing since he had been a chameleon: Becket could play the refined gentleman or be a working joe.

The women in Becket played a major role in his life. His mother gave the young man his motivation, whilst his old girlfriend, Julia Steinway (Margaret Qualley), acted as a corrupting influence on Becket. She was a femme fatale who encouraged Becket’s dark acts. Finally, there was Ruth (Jessica Henwick), who becomes Becket’s girlfriend and shows the man that there was an alternative path. Ruth was happy working as a teacher and living a regular life. Becket could have easily lived as a wealthy stockbroker with a down-to-Earth woman.

There was also some moral ambiguity during Becket’s mission. Becket befriends his Uncle Warren (the always excellent Bill Camp), and he acts as a mentor and father figure. Warren regretted not helping his sister and nephew, or standing up against tyrannical Whitelaw Redfellow (Ed Harris). Noah was someone who was unaware of his privilege and lack of talent, but he wasn’t evil. He accepted Becket and treated him as a friend. The rest of the Redfellows were absolutely despicable.

How to Make a Killing wanted to tackle a lot of subjects and be a dark comedy and thriller. However, was a film that wasn’t as biting or insightful as it thought it was. At times, speed ran the deaths by quickly showing the characters being vile to a cartoony level. The film was in the shadows of similar-themed films, which dug deeper into its subject matter and were more humorous and thrilling.

How to Make a Killing was trying hard to chase the ‘Eat the Rich’ cinematic trend, but lacked the edge that rival films had.