Mixing family and money can be murder.

In How to Make a Killing, we meet Beckett Redfellow (Glen Powell), a blue-collar worker who has been disowned at birth by his obscenely wealthy family. To be fair, Beckett is in the will… but he receives his inheritance only if everyone next in line dies before him. And the frustration that builds within him leads Beckett into a murderous spree to reclaim his inheritance… and enact the justice that no one else has the courage to do.

Directed by John Patton Ford, How to Make a Killing starts out cold but warms up as the film progresses. And, almost strangely, much of this lies with the usually affable Powell. Admittedly, his performance as Beckett requires some time to really come alive. As the young heir that no one wants, Powell plays his character with a certain moral distancing. While that’s to be expected in a role such as this, his slide into the dark side is so seamless that he’s genuinely hard to like, at least at first.

But once it gets going, Killing cuts like a knife.

As the story unfolds, Powell manages to add some emotional layers to Beckett that makes him strangely endearing. We never entirely root for his murder spree but, eventually, we manage to get on board with the plan. (And cameos by Topher Grace and Zach Woods are so delicious that we are more than okay with Beckett’s attempt at offing them.)

Even so, while Powell may get top billing, it’s the women who really deliver killer performances. As Julia Steinway, Margaret Qualley continues to tap into the femme fatale persona that she’s been developing through her work with the Coen’s. In some moments, she feels like the girl next door. And, in others, she could be the devil. She’s cool, calm and always in control.

But on the other end of the spectrum is an entirely endearing performance by Jessica Henwick. Stepping into the role as Ruth, Henwick quickly becomes the film’s conscience. In a world when murder barely registers amongst the elite, Ruth feels like the one character who still has a soul. With innocence and grace, Henwick becomes the grounding force to Powell’s increasingly dead heart. He’s knee deep in this life for the money (and a dose of revenge) but she seems to make him want something more.

And credit must be given to Ford’s script which has a surprisingly incisive social commentary. Though disguised as a dark comedy about getting ahead, this quickly becomes a film that wants to explore the dynamics between those with wealth and those without. This is a film that recognizes the harsh realities of a world built upon social classes and the widening gap that exists between them. This isn’t merely a tale of choosing ‘love or money’. Instead, it’s a smart and savvy satire that isn’t interested in sugar-coating its socio-financial problems.

Here, the proverbial 99% are shown to exist on the other side of a glass wall, looking in on the uber-rich. As a result, in some ways, the bitterness that Beckett feels is less about the money and more about the fact that he’s excluded from it. For some characters, living simple lives is bad but they remain content. Yet, Beckett spends his life looking at what ‘should have been’.

And he’s not going to stand for it anymore.

Having said this though, the most profound thematic aspect of Killing is its definition of tragedy. Without giving any spoilers, the film’s use of the term hits on an entirely different level. To say more would be an injustice to the film but, suffice to say, Ford’s script has more to say than one might initially expect. And, with every increasingly brutal death, Beckett’s journey cuts to the truth about our world’s growing financial gap.

How to Make a Killing is available in theatres on Friday, February 20th, 2026.