A 24 How to Make a Killing

A24 HOW TO MAKE A KILLING 💸 (2026)

#VVSFilms

You know what can fix generational trauma? Generational wealth.

In my books director John Patton Ford is two for two, first with Aubrey Plaza’s crime-thriller, Emily the Criminal (2022), and now he has Glen Powell headlining his second feature film, A24’s HOW TO MAKE A KILLING.

This story, which is loosely inspired by the British film Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) which itself is based on the novel Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal (1907), unravels one man’s calm, cool, collected (level headed) approach to take back everything his mother lost out on, after being disowned by her family.

This isn’t rage, it’s arithmetic. Every move is calculated, every death feels less like impulse and more like bookkeeping.

What makes the film hit harder than expected is how personal it feels. Growing up with a single mom who would sometimes drift into those quiet “what life should’ve been” conversations, I recognized that ache immediately. Even when you’re grateful, even when you’re provided for, that ghost of a better life lingers in a single parent’s mind. Ford weaponizes that ghost, and passes that burden on to the next generation.

What could’ve been a slick satire, a sanitized Patrick Bateman without the sleaze or madness without movie, instead becomes morality distorted by justification. That’s what makes it dangerous, and that’s what makes him sympathetic because underneath the bodies, this isn’t about greed, it’s about righting a wrong. It’s about a son trying to retroactively heal a wound that never closed, but trauma is tunnel vision. The same pain pushing him forward keeps him from seeing the life he’s already built—stable, promising, enough.

The emotional anchor of that tension is Julia Steinway, his childhood crush, played by Margaret Qualley (The Substance), who represents nostalgia, longing, and unfinished emotional business. Every time he inches toward a freer version of himself, she lingers like muscle memory, familiar, tempting, and regressive.

When the realization hits, it hits clean: in trying to avenge the past, he forfeited his future.

Ford doesn’t glorify the spree, he audits it because the real loss isn’t who he kills, it’s who he becomes, and in the end, he secures the inheritance… but bankrupts himself in the process.

Not every movie gets its moment right away, and HOW TO MAKE A KILLING feels like it's heading in that path. This is destined to be a quiet discovery, a title many will find months or years from now and think, "Why didn't I see this sooner?" And when they do finally watch it, they'll be glad they did.

Enjoy!

7.8/10 🍿 🎥

Runtime: 1hr45mins

Where: Now Playing In Theatres

The Richmond Reviewer How to Make a Killing Review - March 2nd, 2026.

#HowtoMakeAKilling #GlenPowell #MargaretQualley #JessicaHenwick #Cinema #Movie #Review #VVSFilms