Crime
Drama
Review: ‘How to Make a Killing’ Brings the Right Balance of Charm, Sleaze and Empathy to a Darkly Comedic Tale of Murder, Deceit and Greed
February 18, 2026Ben MK
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Films about greed and the lengths people will go to in order to satisfy their thirst for money and power are no stranger to moviegoers. But depending on the tale, you might be left with a different message concerning whether such actions ultimately pay off. Whether it's movies like The Social Network and Wall Street, where the protagonists wind up benefiting from their greed, or films like Casino and Scarface, where they're led on a journey towards self-destruction, Hollywood seems to be of two minds when it comes to whether is greed is a desire worth punishing or rewarding. And with How to Make a Killing, that trend continues, in this darkly comedic story of one man's quest to acquire the inheritance he believes he deserves — even if that means obliterating everyone in his family tree. Becket Redfellow (Glen Powell) is a seemingly ordinary guy who works at a New York State tailor. However, some thirty years ago, when his 18-year-old mother, Mary (Nell Williams), became pregnant with him, he was technically in line to inherit the vast Redfellow family fortune. That all changed, however, when his grandfather, Whitelaw (Ed Harris), disowned Mary, kicking her out and forcing her to become a single mother working at the DMV in Belleville Township, New Jersey. And when Mary succumbed to a fatal disease when Becket was still an impressionable young boy, it left him with a lifelong desire to one day reclaim what his grandfather so ruthlessly took away from him and his mother. Now a man of modest means and a more-than-modest thirst for revenge, Becket has spent most of his life keeping track of his living relatives, in the hopes that the money in his grandfather's will — to which he still happens to be entitled — would eventually flow his way. When it becomes apparent that fortune might not smile on him anytime soon, though, he decides to take matters into his own hands. After losing his job and running into with one of his old crushes from childhood, a high-society trophy wife named Julia (Margaret Qualley), Becket formulates an ill-conceived plan to murder all his relatives — namely, his three cousins, two uncles, one aunt, and, of course, his grandfather. What he doesn't anticipate, however, is for one of his lost-lost uncles to take him under his wing, and then for himself to fall for the girlfriend of one of his cousins, a New York City fashion-designer-turned-teacher named Ruth (Jessica Henwick), along the way. It's an unexpected turn of events that makes Becket wonder if he no longer needs to pursue his murderous scheme to its blood-soaked conclusion, as he feels almost content with his life the way it is. As fate — or, more appropriately, Julia, who happens to be broke and has decided to blackmail her former childhood sweetheart — would have it, on the other hand, Becket finds himself forced to continue on with his homicidal streak. And when he finally gets to the last name on his list, Whitelaw himself, the question isn't whether he has the guts to follow through, but whether he has the courage to stop before his life — and his future with Ruth — is ruined. Written and directed by John Patton Ford, who previously explored similar moral ambiguities with 2022's Emily the Criminal, the result is one-third compelling character drama, one-third incisive social commentary, and one-third quick-footed crime thriller. What helps How to Make a Killing stand out from the rest of the proverbial pack, as it were, are the core performances from Powell, Qualley and Henwick. Not only does this trio make for one of the most attractive principal casts in recent memory, but they're each also a perfect fit for their characters, bringing the right amount of charm, sleaze and empathy to their respective roles. And when it comes to the subject matter, that's of the utmost importance, especially since our hero is essentially a serial killer. Suffice to say, audiences will find themselves easily rooting for Powell, who has been on quite the career run ever since his breakout supporting role in Top Gun: Maverick. And despite the quick-fire nature of Becket's murder spree and the lack of theatricality surrounding the untimely demise of each of his victims, viewers will still be entranced with How to Make a Killing's story, even though it somewhat lacks the twists and turns that have come to characterize the genre. After all, everyone loves a good underdog drama — it just so happens that this one involves murder and deceit, rather than the usual fare. How to Make a Killing releases February 20th, 2026 from VVS Films. The film has an MPAA rating of R for language and some violence/bloody images. Its runtime is 1 hr. 45 min. |
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