How to Make a Killing

the eat the rich genre of films that have been rolling out since the end of the 2010s due particially to bong joon-ho's parasite, it makes sense.
parasite was an oscar winning film that while didn't have a big box office journey, it did become one of the most well known and beloved films of the century and with that, other people obviously would try to clone its succes yet like any succes, what everyone forgets is that parasite didn't say "riches make everyone evil"
it is a part of that but only a piece of what makes it work, it uses our real world knowledge on company outsource labour and the system that fuels it. it also uses its cinematography like most films but in a unique way to get across its story and especially its editing is elegant in a way that supports everything else.

while we have been getting eat the rich films for decades now, parasite paved a way for a new boom. the menu, saltburn, triangle of sadness, blink twice, bugonia and many more.
but largely these films don't know what to say and just reiterate the same thing over and over again. do we need that? more so because these films are made BY the rich which does add a layer of hypocrisy but it doesn't automatically take away from them because they themselves already do that.
there are many eat the rich films out there that aren't parasite which are amazing but im more so talking about newer releases.

and what does all of that matter? well how to make a killing is one of these films which came out last month, from the trailer alone it felt off.
it felt like it didn't try to hide its hamfisted ways, the ways its not subtle so i didn't see in theaters but now that its out on digital i ultimately wanted to check it out and what i found is the same recycled slop.
glen powell and ed harris give a decent performance but no one else is memorable enough to be mentioned.
while its story starts out fine, it goes off the rails fast because you don't get to know becket. he's a white man who's decentely off which is the point, he doesn't really need to money yet outside of that his life is largely put to the side or at least the parts that doesn't include his childhood. that childhood doesn't give any characterization.
all of his relationships to other characters feel artificial and qualley is just in here for the sake of having another big star as her character doesn't really support to story or anything in anyway.
she gives a decent performance but she's barely in it.
its cinematography is fine but the camera never is in support or with becket in his journey.
all this film feels is being artificial as it quickly skims from family member to family member all while it screams at us as to what is happening and how we should feel.
liveless.

(watch my feature film https://boxd.it/cQ1mBp )

How to Make a Killing2026

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Relient K plays in the background while Topher Grace plays a sketchy pastor, and that alone is worth the $5 I paid to see this. If somehow that doesn't do it for you, Zach Woods is also worth the $5 I paid. All together, you should be willing to pay $10 I guess.

How to Make a Killing is a solid watch. I was never bored. Some unpredictable things happen. Also some predictable things happen, but that's fine. My main complaint is that it's a LOT of men, and the direction to Margaret Qualley seems to have been "try to do sexy things with your legs as much as possible while sort of pouring." I think she can do more. Let her do more. Also let Glen Powell kill women and men equally.

2026 Theater Visits

How to Make a Killing2026

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