How to Make a Killing Review: A Remake That Misses the Mark
Remaking Robert Hamer's 1949 British masterpiece Kind Hearts and Coronets – widely regarded as the greatest Ealing Studios comedy and, for many, the finest film ever made – requires a boldness akin to that of Cecilia Giménez, the amateur Spanish artist whose infamous "restoration" of a Christ painting left it resembling a monkey. While this new version, titled How to Make a Killing, avoids such extreme mishaps, it ultimately falls short, echoing the uneasy efforts of the Coen Brothers' take on The Ladykillers or Todd Phillips' heavy-handed remake of Hamer's School for Scoundrels. The fundamental question remains: why attempt it at all, especially when relocating the story to modern America strips away the crucial elements of class-consciousness and social shame that defined the original?
The Original Classic: A Tale of Vengeance and Class
The 1949 film starred Dennis Price as Louis, an Edwardian draper's assistant living in genteel poverty after his mother was disowned by her aristocratic family for marrying beneath her station. Driven by vengeance, Louis meticulously murders the eight relatives standing between him and a dukedom, all of whom are brilliantly portrayed by Alec Guinness in a tour-de-force performance. Joan Greenwood played Sibella, the cynical woman whose snobbish cruelty sparks Louis's deadly plan, while Valerie Hobson was Edith, the refined widow of one of his victims who becomes his true love. The film's sharp satire of male ambition and class hierarchy remains unparalleled.
The New Version: A Transplanted Plot with Diminished Impact
Directed by John Patton Ford, known for the Aubrey Plaza thriller Emily the Criminal, How to Make a Killing shifts the action to contemporary America. Glen Powell takes on the role of Becket Redfellow, a young man excluded from his wealthy family who embarks on a serial-killing spree to claim the family estate. Margaret Qualley portrays the modern Sibella figure, with Jessica Henwick as Becket's love interest. While the plot closely follows the original, the victims are played by different actors, lacking the unifying genius of Guinness's multi-role performance. One wonders which actor today might have dared such a feat – perhaps Benedict Cumberbatch, Andrew Scott, Eddie Redmayne, or Jonathan Bailey – but the opportunity is missed here.
A Bland Performance and Lost Satire
Glen Powell, though committed, delivers a rather bland performance, devoid of Dennis Price's ice-cold elegance and the simmering fury of wounded pride. Consequently, the film never captures the original's brilliant satire of male careerism and social climbing. It feels like a pale imitation, lacking the wit and depth that made Kind Hearts and Coronets a timeless classic. The American setting further dilutes the narrative, removing the essential class dynamics that fueled the story's tension and humor.
How to Make a Killing is currently available in the US and Australia, with a UK release scheduled for 13 March. For fans of the original, this remake may prove a disappointing venture, failing to justify its existence beyond a mere retelling. In the end, it serves as a reminder that some classics are best left untouched, their unique magic impossible to replicate in a new context.
