Disowned at birth by his obscenely wealthy family, a man will stop at nothing to reclaim his inheritance, no matter how many relatives stand in his way. A film by John Patton Ford, starring Glen Powell, Margaret Qualley, Jessica Henwick, Bill Camp, Zach Woods, Topher Grace, Raff Law, Nell Williams, Alexander Hanson, James Frecheville, Damien Wantenaar, Sean C. Michael, Grady Wilson, Maggie Toomey, Phumi Tau, Stevel Marc, Bianca Amato, and Ed Harris.

Written and directed by American filmmaker John Patton Ford, HOW TO MAKE A KILLING is a black comedy thriller centered on Becket Redfellow (Glen Powell), whose mother Mary (Nell Williams) was cast out of her wealthy family after refusing to give up a baby fathered by a cellist (Damien Wantenaar) she met at one of the Redfellows’ lavish parties.

Mary eventually dies and Becket spends his childhood bouncing between foster homes before accidentally reconnecting as an adult with his childhood sweetheart Julia Steinway (Margaret Qualley). It’s Julia who plants the idea that sends the story spinning: why not kill off the entire Redfellow family and claim the fortune that was always rightfully his? Inspired by the 1949 British classic Kind Hearts and Coronets.

On paper, this should be a fun and entertaining watch. It has a decent ensemble cast and an intriguing premise, but the script fails to capitalize on what it has. Part of the problem lies in the narrative structure: the story is framed around the protagonist sitting on death row for murder. I assumed his imprisonment was connected to the family killing spree, but it turns out to be something else entirely. As a result, we have to sit through the entire story told in flashback just to reach that underwhelming revelation.

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@pradt

HOW TO MAKE A KILLING 💸
$28 billion dollars isn't going to inherit itself.
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A film by John Patton Ford, starring Glen Powell, Margaret Qualley, Jessica Henwick, Bill Camp, Zach Woods, Topher Grace, Raff Law, Nell Williams, Alexander Hanson, James Frecheville, Damien Wantenaar, Sean C. Michael, Grady Wilson, Maggie Toomey, and Ed Harris.

Though Mary was disowned, she and Becket were never actually cut out of the inheritance. Becket’s grandfather had drawn up an irrevocable trust to avoid paying estate taxes, meaning the fortune would pass down to the next eldest in line no matter what. So Becket’s plan is straightforward in theory: work his way up by eliminating his cousins one by one, starting from the youngest. That means going through Taylor Exeter Redfellow (Raff Law), then Noah (Zach Woods), Steven (Topher Grace), Cassandra (Bianca Amato), McArthur (Alexander Hanson), and Warren (Bill Camp), before finally reaching the man at the top of the line: his grandfather, Whitelaw Redfellow (Ed Harris).

The kills themselves are a mixed bag. Some land, some don’t. The film also gets bogged down by distracting subplots, particularly the push-and-pull between Becket and his cousin’s girlfriend Ruth (Jessica Henwick), while Julia lingers on the sidelines teasing him. It’s unclear what tone the film is going for in these moments. A romantic comedy? It certainly isn’t one. Ultimately, HOW TO MAKE A KILLING never quite reaches the black comedy status it so ambitiously aims for.

HOW TO MAKE A KILLING was theatrically released in the United States on 20 February 2026 by A24.