WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Hit Man.
Summary
Richard Linklater’s latest filmHit Mancleverly incorporates the Freudian psychological concepts of human identity with id, ego, and superego.The new Glen Powell film features theTop Gun: Maverickbreakout star in his most versatile role yet, playing a loner college professor who moonlights as an assassin for his local police department.Hit Manalso became Powell’s highest-rated movieof his acting career afterearning a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, slightly getting the edge over the massively successful box office hitTop Gun: Maverick, which earned a score of 96%.
Already being considered one of thebest movies of Richard Linklater’sextensive career as a director and screenwriter,Hit Manblends several genres to create a well-balanced mix of screwball/romantic comedy, action-inspired thriller, and classic film noir.Hit Manis full of interesting twists and cleverly toys with the concept of identitythrough Powell’s dual portrayals of Ron and Gary, but still effectively carries some familiar tropes of beloved action comedies.Hit Man’scastis also led by Adria Arjona who plays Madison, the unexpected love interest of Powell’s Gary Johnson. Madison believes that Gary is actually Ron, a stylish, confident, and very dangerous trained assassin.
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How The Id, Ego & Superego Work & Relate To Each Other In Psychology Explained
The three combine to form a conceptualization of human identity
The superego informs and conditions the ego, which governs the unfiltered id, and the three provinces combine to embody a conceptualized version of the self.
Sigmund Freud was one of the most revolutionary thinkers in the field of psychology.The Austrian neurologist is credited with inventing the foundation of modern psychoanalysis, the technique that identifies pathologies through the evaluation of conflicts within the human psyche. The Freudian concept of the id, ego, and superego, as depicted inHit Man, deconstructs human identity and its primary influences into three key categories or provinces. The id represents the most primal and basic desires and behaviors, while both the ego and superego are conditioned by personal, societal, and moral expectations.
The ego, or the self, is essentially who you are on the surface and how others generally perceive you. While the id province of the human psyche may want to have ice cream for dinner,the ego or conditioned self understands that having ice cream for dinner is not ultimately wise or healthyand restricts itself from satisfying the id’s desire. The superego extends this concept further through considerations such as the societal consensus or consequences of eating ice cream for dinner, such as feeling embarrassed or ashamed about being seen doing so. The superego informs and conditions the ego, which governs the unfiltered id, and the three provinces combine to embody a conceptualized version of the self.
All 10 Hitman & Assassin Movies Referenced In Glen Powell’s Hit Man
Glen Powell and Richard Linklater’s latest comedy movie Hit Man shows several clips of other classic hitman movies and television series.
How Freud’s Theory Connects To Gary’s Hitman Transformation
Gary satisfies some of his id’s desires and alters his superego
Gary’s transformation into Ron allows some of Gary’s repressed inhibitions of the id to rise to the surface of his ego, which in turn creates a different relationship with his sense of moral and societal conditions and alters the framework of his superego.
Other than Gary’s two cats being named Id and Ego inHit Man, the Freudian concept of the provinces of the human psyche applies to the transformation of his character from Gary to Ron. Gary is a responsible and articulate college professor who is perfectly content with living a quiet lifestyle at the start of the film. This is Gary’s ego, or conditioned self, that has seemingly been long-established throughout his life until the events of the film take place.Gary appears as a model citizen with a strong sense of responsibilityfor his professional, moral, legal, and societal expectations, which can also be viewed as constructs.
Gary’s transformation into Ron allows some of Gary’s repressed inhibitions of the id to rise to the surface of his ego, which in turn creates a different relationship with his sense of moral and societal conditions and alters the framework of his superego. Because Gary is letting loose under the guise of Ron,his formerly strict and absolute sense of morality and societal duty are altered, especially since he’s masquerading as a contract killer. Gary eventually gets caught up in his performative identity as Ron and ends up doing things that the old Gary would never do, such as lying to the police and helping her get away with murder by the end ofHit Man.
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Gary’s Cat Names Already Hinted At His Major Hit Man Conflict
Gary’s shift in his adherence to his superego helped inspire his alter-ego Ron
Gary and Ron ultimately fused together through his relationship with Madisondue to Gary satisfying more of his id’s desires and altering his superego by loosening his self-policing values. Interestingly, his cats were named Id and Ego, which would contextually make him the Superego. The superego is also what ends up influencing Gary to further embrace his Ron personality because that “cool” type of person is more culturally admired than Gary, despite Ron being more of a danger to society. Gary’s pets, Id and Ego, while perfectly content, are ultimately domesticated, tame, and complacent and exist in opposition to Ron, much like Gary was inHit Manbefore letting loose.
Hit Man Is Exactly What We Need While Waiting For This Upcoming Movie That Won’t Release Until The 2040s
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Hit Man
Cast
Hit Man centers on a mild-mannered professor involved in police sting operations as a fake hit man. His life spirals into chaos when he unexpectedly falls for a potential client, initiating a series of unforeseen complications and dilemmas.
