There is a fortune of $28 billion at the top of the Redfellow family tree, and seven relatives standing between Becket Redfellow and his share of it. Becket has been shut out of that world since the day he was born. So, with a confident smile and a very good suit, he starts working his way up the line.
How to Make a Killing, John Patton Ford’s glossy black comedy, premiered on Sky Cinema and NOW on Tuesday 27 October after a spring run in UK cinemas. British viewers will spot the blueprint at once: this is a modern American take on Ealing’s Kind Hearts and Coronets, the 1949 classic in which a disinherited heir murders his way towards a title. Glen Powell makes a charming killer, and the cast around him is terrific. What is missing is the poison.
Glen Powell has the smile of a man who could get away with murder. The film just never makes us feel the blood on his hands.
Movie at a Glance
- UK availability: On Sky Cinema and streaming on NOW from Tuesday 27 October 2026; also to rent or buy digitally
- UK cinema release: 13 March 2026 (STUDIOCANAL)
- US release: In cinemas from 20 February 2026 (A24)
- Director and writer: John Patton Ford
- Starring: Glen Powell, Margaret Qualley, Jessica Henwick, Ed Harris, Bill Camp, Topher Grace and Zach Woods
- UK certificate: 15 (strong language, violence)
- Runtime: 105 minutes
- Genre: Black comedy thriller
Viewer Match
- Best for: Glen Powell fans, and anyone who enjoys a glossy eat-the-rich comedy with a starry cast.
- Maybe skip if: You love Kind Hearts and Coronets and want a remake with the same wicked bite.
- Mood and pace: Smooth, sunny and briskly plotted, more mischievous than menacing.
- Cinema or streaming? A comfortable streaming choice now that it is on Sky Cinema and NOW.
- Spoiler level: Spoiler-free: we don’t reveal who survives the family reunion.
From Ealing to New York
Ford, who made a strong debut with Emily the Criminal, keeps the bones of the original story. Becket’s mother was cast out by her wealthy family after falling pregnant as a teenager, and Becket grows up with nothing while his relatives enjoy everything. Years later, stuck in a dead-end job and stung by a chance meeting with the girl he adored as a child, he realises that he is only a handful of funerals away from the family fortune.
The modern touches are often fun. The victims now include a party-loving Wall Street cousin, a self-important artist and a celebrity preacher, and each is a sharp little sketch of how the very rich behave. The trouble is that Ford makes almost all of them so obviously awful that Becket’s crimes rarely feel like crimes. The original was shocking because its hero was so calm about killing people who did not deserve it. Here, the film is so keen for us to like Becket that much of the dark comedy is softened.
A Starry Cast, Used Sparingly
Powell is an easy, likeable screen presence, and he carries the film with real movie-star charm. What he cannot quite find is the cold centre the role needs. Becket changes from a decent underdog into a serial killer with little sign of what that costs him, and the performance stays smooth when it should become slippery.
The supporting players do a great deal with very little. Margaret Qualley is sharp and dangerous as Julia, the old childhood crush who seems to have stepped in from a nastier film noir. Jessica Henwick brings a welcome warmth as Ruth, the one person who gives Becket a reason to stop. Bill Camp adds unexpected kindness as an uncle who complicates the plan, Topher Grace is very funny as a perma-tanned preacher, and Ed Harris makes a fearsome patriarch. Most of the cast, though, are gone almost as soon as they arrive.
Handsome, but Too Safe
It is a good-looking film, all clean lines, rich interiors and bright sunshine, even if its New York does not always feel like New York. The pacing is efficient, and the framing device, with Becket telling his story from a prison cell, gives it a pleasing storybook rhythm. But for a murder comedy, it is surprisingly gentle. The kills are staged with a light touch, the satire of the super-rich says nothing very new, and the late twists arrive without quite the sting they promise.
None of that makes it a bad night in. It is polished, watchable and occasionally very funny, and Powell’s fans will have a good time. It simply never becomes the wicked, unforgettable comedy its famous source material still is.
Spoiler-Free Verdict
How to Make a Killing is a slick, starry and enjoyable update of a British classic, but it keeps its hero so likeable that the black comedy loses its bite.
- Performances: 6.5/10
- Direction: 6/10
- Screenplay: 5.5/10
- Score: 6/10
- Cinematography: 6.5/10
- Entertainment Value: 6/10
- Overall score: 6/10
Star rating: 3/5
Verdict badge: Stream It
One-line verdict: Kind hearts, blunt knives: Glen Powell charms, but this killer comedy needed more venom.
Watch the Official Trailer
Meet Becket Redfellow and the relatives in his way in the official trailer.
Want more Glen Powell? Read our The Running Man (2025) review. For tonight’s viewing, try What to Watch Tonight, and for the rest of the week, our Weekly Streaming Highlights.
Should some classics be left alone, or can a remake like this find its own reason to exist? Share your spoiler-free reaction to How to Make a Killing.