How to Make a Killing (2026)
Directed by John Patton Ford
Disowned at birth by his obscenely wealthy family, blue-collar Becket Redfellow will stop at nothing to reclaim his inheritance, no matter how many relatives stand in his way.
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34 films that influenced How to Make a Killing
What critics say influenced How to Make a Killing
…the first point of comparison was the beautifully twisted classic British black comedy, Kind Hearts and Coronets. In it, Alec Guinness played eight members of a British aristocratic family, all of whom were assassinated by a disowned twig on the family tree.
One of the greatest British films of all time is the 1949 dark comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets.
Many might not know that John Patton Ford’s latest film, How to Make a Killing, is loosely based on Robert Hamer’s 1949 classic Ealing comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets.
How To Make A Killing is a remake of the classic Ealing comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), in which impoverished Dennis Price murdered the eight aristocrats (all played by Alec Guinness) standing in his way of a massive fortune.
Director/screenwriter John Patton Ford adapts the 1949 Alec Guinness/Dennis Price film Kind Hearts and Coronets with a modern twist.
For this loose reimagining of Ealing classic Kind Hearts And Coronets, he’s given a more expansive cast, locations and money to spend.
…now in theaters where you’re going to love this American psycho anyway…
Instead of evolving into a new-age American Psycho, it settles for going through the motions.
Becket is ambitious like Patrick Bateman from American Psycho, but he’s nowhere near as psychotic or deep.
But then he can turn into a serial killer like Patrick Bateman from American Psycho…
…can Powell convincingly channel a Patrick Bateman-esque sociopath and sell the idea that he’d bludgeon his entire family tree to death?
The closest Ford comes to either is letting Glen Powell lean into a Patrick Bateman "American Psycho" aesthetic, which is only there for the inference and its connections, not to promise a bloodbath.
Director
Park Chan-wook
Critics invoke Chan-wook by name, and compare How to Make a Killing to 1 of Chan-wook’s films.
Visuals
On Chan-wook, rather than any one film
On the heels of Park Chan-wook’s film, releasing something as toothless and dull as How to Make a Killing feels unacceptable.
It also can’t hold a candle to last year’s “No Other Choice,” Park Chan-wook’s latest masterpiece about living well maybe not being the best revenge.
Wait. Didn’t I use that line already when I reviewed “No Other Choice” (2025)? Dear reader, you should probably skew upwards in favor of Powell’s latest flick because I’m suffering from watching too many movies and kept comparing it (unfairly?) to Chan-wook Park’s latest film.
The film also finds itself in the unfortunate position of inviting comparisons to Park Chan-wook’s 2025 masterpiece No Other Choice, another recent dark satire built around a man committing increasingly drastic acts in pursuit of financial survival.
…the film arrives on the heels of last year’s No Other Choice, which follows a strikingly similar premise of a financially desperate man literally eliminating his competition one by one…
…with rare recent exceptions (check out Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice for a far superior film with an eerily similar premise.)
…having recently seen Park Chan-wook’s “No Other Choice” like so many of us have (…right?), he sets off to ensure that every other Redfellow becomes a fellow drowning in red.
Not as sharp as The Menu (2022), as clever as Parasite (2019), or as spirited as Ready or Not (2019) and Knives Out (2019), How to Make a Killing is a lifeless addition to the genre.
…following in the footsteps of Triangle of Sadness, The Menu, Saltburn, Rian Johnson’s Knives Out trilogy, Parasite, Ready or Not and countless others…
Ford isn't going for the uncompromising discomfort of someone like Bong Joon-ho in "Parasite," nor the genre maximalism of "Ready or Not," to name two recent "kill the rich" films.
…its eat-the-rich themes now feel overly familiar in post-“Parasite” cinema…
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Not as sharp as The Menu (2022), as clever as Parasite (2019), or as spirited as Ready or Not (2019) and Knives Out (2019), How to Make a Killing is a lifeless addition to the genre.
…following in the footsteps of Triangle of Sadness, The Menu, Saltburn, Rian Johnson’s Knives Out trilogy, Parasite, Ready or Not and countless others…
Think of similar films like 2011’s You’re Next, and 2019’s Ready or Not, or TV shows like Revenge and Dexter. These narratives flesh out the protagonist’s targets, thankfully building a connection with who they are and why they’re being punished.
Ford isn't going for the uncompromising discomfort of someone like Bong Joon-ho in "Parasite," nor the genre maximalism of "Ready or Not," to name two recent "kill the rich" films.
Not as sharp as The Menu (2022), as clever as Parasite (2019), or as spirited as Ready or Not (2019) and Knives Out (2019), How to Make a Killing is a lifeless addition to the genre.
…following in the footsteps of Triangle of Sadness, The Menu, Saltburn, Rian Johnson’s Knives Out trilogy, Parasite, Ready or Not and countless others…
Like the panache of a Knives Out movie that has turned murder into cinematic comfort food…
The only catch for Powell is how similar How to Make a Killing is from another film where he was an assassin in the 2023 thriller comedy Hit Man.
Unlike Powell’s performance in the similarly ethically slippery 2023 film Hit Man, there’s no nuance or inner tension to this former rule-follower…
…a la Richard Linklater’s Hit Man (even Powell’s movie titles are similar)…
…there’s also an edge in the way we’ve seen his nice-guy charm darkly subverted in Hit Man or The Running Man…
Powell is more than capable of comedy – look no further than Hit Man – but he’s left floundering for the punchline…
If that’s the case, they’ve succeeded, but this is certainly not A24’s finest hour, let alone Powell’s greatest moment on screen. That would be Hit Man. Watch that instead.
You have seen her play this type of role before, specifically in “Sanctuary” (2022), “Kinds of Kindness” (2024) and a bit of a stretch, but “Blue Moon” (2025), women who know how to play the game and move up in the world without calling attention to it.
She’s managed to show a bit more range over the years in films of varying quality like The Substance, Honey Don’t, and Blue Moon…
…if Danny McBride ever has thoughts about making a follow-up to The Righteous Gemstones, they should give Grace a call.
A Reverend, for instance, is here a megachurch pastor ripped straight from The Righteous Gemstones.
Topher Grace offers up his own spin on “The Righteous Gemstones”…
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…ably harnesses the wild rags-to-riches vibe of The Wolf of Wall Street…
Ford seems to be aiming for a dark riff on The Wolf of Wall Street or the aforementioned American Psycho…
Not as sharp as The Menu (2022), as clever as Parasite (2019), or as spirited as Ready or Not (2019) and Knives Out (2019), How to Make a Killing is a lifeless addition to the genre.
…following in the footsteps of Triangle of Sadness, The Menu, Saltburn, Rian Johnson’s Knives Out trilogy, Parasite, Ready or Not and countless others…