How to Make a Killing Review: Glen Powell's 'Eat the Rich' Comedy Falls Flat
Glen Powell disappoints in this limp 'eat the rich' comedy, a stealth remake of the Alec Guinness classic 'Kind Hearts and Coronets' that is devoid of any of its frosty charm. Clarisse Loughrey's review, dated Thursday 12 March 2026, highlights the film's deceptive presentation and narrative shortcomings.
Deceptive Inspiration and Narrative Flaws
There is significant deception at work in How to Make a Killing. It is not the string of murders committed by Glen Powell's character, Becket Redfellow, to secure an inheritance by trimming his family tree. Instead, the deception lies in how writer-director John Patton Ford's film has been marketed as 'inspired by' the 1949 Ealing comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets, itself adapted from a 1907 novel. In reality, How to Make a Killing is a conventional remake that replicates many characters and plot points but fails to capture the original's icy allure or the clever gimmick of Alec Guinness playing eight different roles.
Both the director and star have avoided the thrilling moral apathy of the original film's antihero, played by Dennis Price, who casually remarks on the 'good luck' of infant relatives dying from diphtheria while manipulating two women's affections. Price's rare smiles are unnervingly tinged with disdain, a nuance missing in this modern retelling.
Moral Ambiguity and Character Weakness
In today's era of 'eat the rich' narratives, Ford attempts to inject moral righteousness into his version. However, Becket is no Robin Hood; he kills bad rich people only to become one himself. The film struggles to place him on any clear moral spectrum, leaving unanswered questions: Was he always corrupt, or did wealth pursuit taint him? How to Make a Killing is too timid to either defend his actions or make him genuinely unlikeable, rendering Becket a formless, doughy character without depth.
Becket's backstory reveals his mother as a Long Island heiress exiled by her father, Ed Harris, after an unplanned pregnancy. She died young and unsupported, whispering a final wish for her son to live 'the right kind of life'. Raised to pass as upper class, Becket is skilled in archery and infatuated with local socialite Julia Steinway, played by Margaret Qualley. She refuses to marry him but, aware the Redfellow fortune goes to the eldest child, dismissively tells him to 'call me when you've killed them all'.
Performances and Directional Missteps
Margaret Qualley's Julia exudes the same repressed mania that gave her character in The Substance an intoxicating edge, making her the film's most interesting presence. She seems to have wandered in from one of Ethan Coen's sillier, funnier queer comedies like Drive-Away Dolls (2024) or Honey Don't! (2025). In contrast, Glen Powell's reserved performance fails to energise Becket as he navigates a series of one-percent archetypes, including Raff Law paying homage to his father's role in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Zach Woods as a self-proclaimed 'white Basquiat', and Topher Grace as an unhinged megachurch preacher.
Ford further dilutes the protagonist by juxtaposing Julia with Jessica Henwick's Ruth, a symbol of authenticity who chooses job satisfaction and a full personal life over material comforts. This dynamic makes the film feel like a sentimental 1990s family comedy, albeit with a higher body count. Despite opening with the bold statement, 'Money buys happiness. We're all adults here', How to Make a Killing ultimately files its teeth down to nubs, lacking bite and conviction.
Directed by John Patton Ford and starring Glen Powell, Margaret Qualley, Jessica Henwick, Bill Camp, Zach Woods, Topher Grace, and Ed Harris, the film is rated Cert 15 and runs for 105 minutes. How to Make a Killing is in cinemas from 13 March.
