Netflix's "Hit Man" has an absolutely bizarre plot, but a large part of it is true.
The movie follows Gary Johnson (Glen Powell), a divorced college professor recruited by the police to become a phony hitman to catch potential criminals.
Gary dons wacky disguises, including a costume of Patrick Bateman from "American Psycho" and another that makes him look like a Russian Bond villain, to persuade potential criminals that he is a real hitman.
"Hit Man" sometimes seems too outlandish to be true, but it is loosely based on an article published by Texas Monthly in 2001.
In the article, staff writer Skip Hollandsworth recounts Johnson's exploits as a fake hitman in the 1980s and '90s. According to the article, Johnson helped the police arrest 60 people.
"Hit Man" was independently produced but was bought by Netflix for $20 million in 2023 after its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. It's the streamer's latest independent movie acquisition.
In promotional material for the movie, Powell was inspired by the Texas Monthly article for make a film after reading it in 2020. He then asked director Richard Linklater to write the script with him, and they created "Hit Man."
However, the pair made several changes to Johnson's story, including setting the movie in modern-day America.
Below, we separate fact from fiction in "Hit Man."