If you have ever watched an interesting & high-rated movie, you might be wondering how much of it is grounded in real life. If you have watched Richard Linklater latest Netflix gem Hit Man then you are probably wondering, “Is Hit Man a true story?” This uplifting movie based on Skip Hollandsworth’s 2001 Texas Monthly article tells the story of Gary Johnson, a man who was both a police officer & impostor hitman. The enthralling & sometimes shocking narrative of the motion picture will be retrieved by the real-life occurrences & connections to the actual events, as well as the fiction in this motion picture.
Is Hit Man a True Story?
Image credit – Texas Monthly
People are searching for fanatical details about the real facts behind Richard Linklater’s latest released Netflix film called Hit Man. Based on an article by Skip Hollandsworth published in the Texas Monthly Magazine in 2001, the movie tells the evocative story of a character named, the police inspector, Gary Johnson, or a man of the law turned con man. Analyzing the facts given & focusing on the real Gary Johnson behind the film’s intrigue, it is important to differentiate between truth & fiction.
A Quiet Man with a Hidden Life
Thus, Hollandsworth’s article in the Texas Monthly presented a portrayal of a man named Gary Johnson leading a normal life in suburban Texas. As a man who likes to spend time in his Japanese garden, a man who allegedly likes Philosophy, Johnson does not look like a killer. While Johnson may have appeared calm & collected in the series, his off-screen life escalated when he began the dangerous work of undercover police work to stamp out dangerous criminal groups.
The Birth of the Faux Hit Man
As for Gary Johnson portrayed by Glen Powell in the movie, he was never a true hitman to begin with. His odyssey started as a Vietnam War operative, who later became a sheriff’s deputy & went undercover. Johnson’s job entailed the use of lifelike disguises & aliases to befriend criminals who wished to employ his services to off their rivals. His means were more tactical, it appears he dealt with the planning strategies on how to get evidence & make cases as opposed to exterminating.
Becoming the Master of Disguise
The most decisive point in Gary Johnson’s career may be considered the moment when he became a member of the Houston Police Department. From deputy, he proved to be quite adept at cloak-and-dagger stuff. Because of his versatility in playing different characters & assumptions, he was very useful for stings that targeted those who asked for murder.
The Art of Deception
In essence, the success of Johnson as an undercover operative largely depends on how he would portray himself in the disguise of accomplishing various characters. From the portrayal of the smooth assassin for big-buck clients to the thug for more provincial thugs, Johnson was valuable for his adaptability. These transformations entailed accents, the kind of clothes he wore, & even his mannerisms had to be changed depending on his targets.
Fact vs. Fiction: Hollywood’s Creative License
Therefore, while Hit Man contains some factual details of Gary Johnson’s life, the narrative departs greatly from the actual events for dramatic purposes. What can be criticized in this picture is that it complements his killings by adding several contracts with potential targets & a fictitious affair, all of which greatly enhance the movie’s excitement factor but are not true to the events of Johnson’s life. Indeed, Johnson’s business consisted of deception & apprehension & not social interaction or individual vendettas.
A Fictional Love Story
The movie brings in the love affair angle of Johnson with a character called Madison portrayed by Adria Arjona. This aspect as a historical component of the story is a work of fiction, however, it adds sentiment to Hals’ life. Johnson’s affairs were entirely business-like, & fully planned, emotionally with none of his targets or clients.
Ethical Dilemmas in Undercover Work
While being a work of fiction, Hit Man gives insight into the work & dynamics of undercover police. Johnson’s narrative captures the essence of the kind of roles that entail courage & flexibility in as much as they involve treading on the thin line of the code of ethics in search of justice. The series that he left behind will be remembered by the problems of those who work undercover for the sake of saving people from crime & corruption.
Entrapment Controversy
Johnson was not beyond using questionable ethical techniques or procedures to achieve the team’s objectives, something that was evident in entrapment. The defense lawyers often claimed that Johnson’s conduct evoked criminal purposes rather than exposing them. In this respect, Johnson argued that the targets were aggressive & would have looked for other ways of solving the issue anyway.
Lasting Impact on Law Enforcement
Gary Johnson had a lot of influence on undercover operations to date. His approach involved extensive usage of disguises together with the manipulation of the Suspects’ psychological state, all of which made him a precedent of subsequent sting operations. Further, it was also revealing to see how active the officer was in his undercover work alongside the other commitments he had such as that of a lecturer in a community college; the police force & its personnel have, therefore, a complex dynamic.
The Real Gary Johnson: A True Law Enforcement Maverick
Even though the film Hit Man presents an interesting story based on Gary Johnson’s rather compelling life story, it is crucial to look for differences between the plot developed in the film & Johnson’s real life. Such an account is a clear indication of how professional & committed people in the force involved in the provision of law & order are willing to go in their line of duty.
Beyond the Film: Understanding Johnson’s True Legacy
Gary Johnson, the actual person whose life served as inspiration for characters like Johnny Depp’s, was also a many-sided person whose contribution to the work of law-enforcement agencies was greater than just undercover operations. This aspect of his work shows that the portrayal of the work in the Hollywood movie is a mere Hollywood stereotype of the work & that the work involves many challenges & ethical questions.
Conclusion
Speaking of the film endings, the credits of Richard Linklater’s Hit Man leave the viewers in suspense & wondering about the definite border between the genres of a documentary & a drama. In posing the question, “Is Hit Man a true story?” We enter into the winding story of Gary Johnson, a man who, in any way & in any way, imitated a hitman for law enforcement while leading an otherwise interesting life. As we watch a dramatized narrative of his story, we need to remember that the actual narrative is complex, & it is a support for the small people who grapple with ethical questions to protect our societies from the ever-growing danger.
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Amit Gupta is a 2015 graduate of RTU in Rajasthan, India. After working over a decade as an additional writer at News article, he decided to start his own news publication. He mainly focuses on entertainment, Movies, Web series articles and editorials. He likes to listen to music and play cricket in his free time. Follow On Facebook.
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