Exploring the double-life of Gary Johnson, the inspiration behind Netflix’s new movie,Hit Man.
Glenn Powell’s new movieHit Manis a trip.
Warning: Spoiler ahead!
He takes on a variety of different clients, whom he hopes will confess their murder-for-hire plans.
But once he meets an unhappily married woman named Madison, the trajectory of this gig changes significantly.
Then, he actually tries to help her take out her abusive husband.
What’s even more shocking is that the movie is based on a real story.
With that in mind, let’s dive into some of the mostinteresting factssurrounding the movie.
1.Gary Johnson was a staff investigator for the Harris County district.
Though the movie took place in New Orleans, the actual Gary Johnson was based in Houston.
Johnson aided police in gaining evidence on people looking to hire a contract killer.
According to Hollandsworth’sarticle, informants would tell cops when they knew someone wanted to hire a contract killer.
2.Johnson said that he investigated upwards of 300 murder-for-hire allegations between the late 80s and 2001.
3.While an undercover cop, he believed that his prolificacy was a result of his communication skills.
4.He told people that he worked in “human resources.”
5.His ex-wife described him as a loner.
Though Gary’s interpersonal skills were undoubtedly better than the average person, he reportedly had difficulty maintaining relationships.
He had been divorced three times by 2001.
His second wife described him as a loner.
6.Gary never actually killed anyone.
While the film’s conclusion suggested otherwise, Gary never actually murdered anyone in real life.
At the end of the movie, they clarify, “We made that part up.”
“All pie is good pie” was a real line.
8.Gary Johnson passed away in 2022, according toTudum.
9.He used a multitude of aliases and adjusted his persona for each client.
However, Glenn Powell dramatized it with absurd disguises.
10.Glenn Powell chose not to speak to Gary Johnson in the early stages of filming.
12.The movie was initially supposed to be set in Houston, where the real Gary Johnson worked.
13.Johnson was once shot on the job.
14.He was described as “the Laurence Olivier of the field” in the Texas Monthly article.
16.Johnson worked as a professor at a community college twice a week.
17.Interestingly enough, Johnson initially wanted to be a psychology professor.
In fact, Hollandsworthstatesthat his “dream was to teach psychology in college.”
18.His experience in law enforcement began during the war in Vietnam.
He served as a military policeman overseeing convoys in Vietnam.
19.Gary Johnson personal life was much less exciting than his professional one.
