Warning! This article contains spoilers for Netflix's Hit Man.

Summary

• Hit Man is based on a true story, following a professor who doubles as an undercover hitman, arresting clients who hire him.
• Hit Man's true elements are exaggerated in some cases, from Gary Johnson's murder of two people to his relationship with Madison Masters.
• Some elements of Hit Man that are real are Gary Johnson's hitman aliases, his record of arrests, and his otherwise unassuming life as a professor.

Netflix's Richard Linklater-directed movie.

Since its release, Hit Man's positive reviews have praised the film's screenplay, directing, and cast, specifically Powell and his co-star Adria Arjona. That said, much of this praise would not be present without Hit Man's story, which involves Gary Johnson becoming embroiled in a series of increasingly over-the-top scenarios. By the time of Hit Man's climactic ending, the story is made even better with the reveal that it is based on the life of a real person. The film's titular character was a real-world undercover hitman, begging the question of what is real and what is not in the Netflix interpretation.

Glen Powell's Hit Man Character Is Based On The Real Gary Johnson

Hit Man Is Based On A Texas Monthly Article Written By Skip Hollandsworth

The main story of Hit Man originated in an article written by Skip Hollandsworth, for the Texas Monthly in 2001. In the article, Hollandsworth detailed how Johnson was able to keep a low profile with his neighbors, while, all the while, working with the police as a fake hitman. Director Richard Linklater, a friend of Hollandsworth, read the article when it was first published, before ing Hollandsworth during the COVID-19 pandemic to discuss adapting it into a movie. Powell then ed the project to portray Johnson while producing and co-writing the script.

Richard Linklater and Skip Hollandsworth previously co-wrote the screenplay for the movie Bernie (2011) together.

Since the film's release, Hit Man director Richard Linklater has spoken about the film's links to reality. In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Linklater mentioned how the film dramatizes certain elements, though they are very much based on Johnson's real life. For example, the many aliases Gary Johnson creates in the Hit Man movie are exaggerated. Linklater stated that the real Johnson used to do this to an extent, but not to the amplified element Powell portrays in the movie.

How Many People Did Gary Johnson Help Arrest?

The Success Of Gary Johnson's Undercover Work Is An Underrepresented Aspect Of Hit Man

In real life, Johnson was born in Louisiana. He eventually began working as an undercover agent in 1989, when the police ordered him to disguise himself as a hitman for a woman who was searching to find somebody to kill her husband. The woman was subsequently sentenced to a lengthy time in prison, and Johnson continued his work as a fake hitman for hire (via Texas Monthly).

From the first scene in which Gary tries his hand at undercover work to the various implementations of his aliases and different identities, Hit Man makes it clear that Johnson arrested several people.

Throughout Hit Man, several different cases are shown in which Johnson goes undercover. From the first scene in which Gary tries his hand at undercover work to the various implementations of his aliases and different identities, Hit Man makes it clear that Johnson arrested several people. Staggeringly, the film did not portray this as well as it could have. At the end of Hit Man, credit notes reveal that Gary Johnson aided in the arrest of over 70 people, proving him to truly be "the Laurence Olivier of the field" that he was described as by Skip Hollandsworth.

Gary Johnson Did Not Actually Kill Anyone, Unlike Hit Man

Hit Man's Devolution Into Drama-Filled Scenes Are Not Real Parts Of Johnson's Life

When watching Hit Man, it may come as a shock to some when Gary becomes complicit in the murders of two people. From knowing Madison killed her abusive husband Ray to actively murdering his coworker Jasper, the life of Gary Johnson takes a humorous albeit deceptively dark turn in the final act of Hit Man​​​​​​. With the prior knowledge that the film is based on a real story, a burning question is whether the real Gary Johnson killed anyone.

Despite these worries, Hit Man's end-credit sequences reveal that these murders were fabricated for the film. Linklater and Powell wisely alert the audience that no murders were committed by Johnson in the real-life story of Hit Man. These moments were simply created to make the film function better as a drama-comedy, with Linklater crediting Powell for many of these decisions. Linklater - in the aforementioned interview - states that he originally thought there was not enough story to make a movie, and that it was Powell who pushed them beyond the source material to begin playing in different genres.

Is Hit Man's Romance Based On The True Story?

Gary's Romance With Madison Is At The Center Of Hit Man's Story

Another pressing question about Hit Man's true story will undoubtedly concern Gary Johnson's relationship with Madison. While Madison is absent from the first act of Hit Man, her romance with Gary quickly becomes the fulcrum of the story. Many of the dramatized elements of the plot, including the added killings undertaken by Madison and Gary, are a direct result of their relationship. As such, many will be wondering if this relationship was real or fabricated like many other aspects of Hit Man. As it turns out, the romantic elements of Hit Man are also significantly embellished in the movie.

In the original article about Johnson's work, it is mentioned that he was ed by a woman who wished to hire his services to kill her abusive husband. This aspect of Johnson's life is only briefly touched upon in the article as the kickstarter of his undercover career. Conversely, Hit Mand depicts the relationship as the crux of the movie. This certainly makes sense as many of Richard Linklater's movies are known to have hints of romance mixed with comedy, with Hit Man proving to be no exception, albeit with a fantasized touch.

Did Gary Johnson Really Work As A College Teacher?

In Hit Man, Johnson's Character Primarily Works As A Professor

In real life, Johnson served as a police officer for a year in Vietnam before returning to the United States and finding work as an investigator for a district attorney's office. It was only after this job that he began working as an undercover agent. Outside of this, Johnson maintained the public figure of an ordinary, unassuming man, caring for his pet cats and polite to his neighbors; those who hired his services as a hit man saw him as a mysterious loner, who always accepts the offer given to him, and says he will take care of the problem.

Gary's work as a professor is key to conveying his character arc in the Hit Man movie, as evident by the final scene in which he teaches his students about the deeper meanings of life.

In the Hit Man film, Gary Johnson is depicted as a college professor. This life blends with his extra work as a tech guy with the New Orleans Police Department. It is through the latter line of work that Gary is pulled into undercover roles in Netflix's Hit Man. As such, a natural question is whether the real Gary was also a college professor. Although his line of work in the DA's office is presented in the original story, the ending of Hit Man confirms Gary was a real professor working in Houston, not New Orleans.

What Happened To Gary Johnson In Real Life

Hit Man Reveals What Became Of The Real Gary Johnson

While Hit Man offers a darkly comedic view into the life and work of Gary Johnson, it does not explain much about his life after his work. The end credit sequence of Hit Man reveals some tidbits about Gary's life, though most of them are from before his undercover lifestyle. Tragically, one of the few things known about Gary's life after the events loosely depicted in Hit Man is that he ed away in 2022. Gary became ill shortly after production began on the film, but not before he could speak to Linklater about the adaptation of his life.

This marks a heartbreaking end to the tale, though the events of Hit Man - however loosely adapted they are - prove his [Gary Johnson's] life was anything other than ordinary.

Despite having somewhat of a say in the film's production, Gary's illness resulted in his death at age 75. This marks a heartbreaking end to the tale, though the events of Hit Man - however loosely adapted they are - prove his life was anything other than ordinary. Thankfully, Hit Man's final moments make sure to dedicate the film to Gary Johnson's memory, as the extraordinary tale about a seemingly ordinary man comes to a close. Via the film, audiences can see a dramatized version of Johnson's life, leading them to find out more about the compelling character himself, solidifying his legacy.