How To Make A Killing 2026 Review

How to Make a Killing is a dark comedy thriller that looks like it should be an absolute blast on paper. It has that kind of juicy setup that screams crowd pleaser, a bitter outsider with a grudge, obscene wealth, and a plan that spirals. It is written and directed by John Patton Ford, and it stars Glen Powell and Margaret Qualley, with a strong supporting cast including Jessica Henwick, Bill Camp, Zach Woods, Topher Grace, and Ed Harris.

The premise is simple and nasty in a way that should work. Powell plays Becket Redfellow, a man disowned at birth by his insanely wealthy family. He grows up on the outside looking in, carrying a chip on his shoulder that turns into a full blown obsession. When life knocks him down again as an adult, he decides he is done waiting for a seat at the table. If the family fortune will never be handed to him, he will take it, and he will remove anyone standing between him and the inheritance.

That is a great hook, and for stretches, the movie is genuinely entertaining. Glen Powell is the main engine here. He has that easy charisma that keeps you watching even when the story wobbles. He is good at playing a guy who is confident, slightly smug, and still somehow likeable enough that you do not want to turn on him completely. The film also uses him as a narrator, which adds a bit of bite and rhythm, especially early on when the story is setting up his resentment and his warped logic.

Margaret Qualley is also a major plus. She brings a restless energy that gives the film some unpredictability, and she helps keep the story from becoming a straight line of plot mechanics. Jessica Henwick does solid work too, adding a more grounded presence that the film badly needs once the body count starts building. Even when the script takes shortcuts, the cast keeps the scenes watchable. Comedically, it is funny in bursts. There are moments that land properly, not just polite chuckles. Zach Woods, in particular, has the kind of face and timing that can make a small moment feel memorable, and he does get some of the film’s best laughs. But this is also where your take lines up with the biggest issue. The good mostly ends with the acting and the concept.

The pacing is all over the place. It feels like the film keeps changing its mind about what it wants to be. Sometimes it is going for slick, satirical dark comedy about class and entitlement. Sometimes it wants to be a thriller. Sometimes it leans into quirky character sketches. The result is a movie that can feel chopped up, like a series of strong scenes that never fully lock into a satisfying flow. When it is moving, it is fun. When it slows down, it really slows down, and you can feel the energy drain out of it.

The music choices also add to that uneven feeling. There is a sense that the film is trying to create an offbeat tone through the soundtrack, but it does not always match what is happening on screen. In a story like this, music can sharpen the comedy or heighten the tension, but here it occasionally pulls you out of scenes because the vibe feels slightly wrong for the moment. It is not that the music is bad, it is that the choices feel odd, like they belong to a different cut of the film.

And while the central plot idea is strong, the execution does not fully deliver. The story has all the ingredients for a sharper, nastier, more satisfying ride. Instead, it sometimes feels like it is skating across the surface when it should be digging in. The satire could have bitten harder. The tension could have been tighter. The character turns could have felt more inevitable. It never becomes boring, but it also never becomes great, and that is the frustrating part, because you can see the better version of this movie sitting right next to the one we got.

By the time the film hits its later stretch, it becomes clearer that the movie is relying on momentum and performance rather than storytelling precision. Some people will still have a good time with it, especially if you are there for Powell, Qualley, and the general vibe of wealthy people behaving badly. But if you go in expecting a clean, clever, tightly executed dark comedy thriller, you might leave wishing it stuck the landing more confidently.

For me, it is a solid enough watch with a great cast and a strong premise, but too uneven in pacing and tone to fully recommend as a must see. This is why I rate the film a 6.5/10