What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedHit Man
Richard Linklater · Film · 2024
If you loved Hit Man, start with Mr Inbetween (Scott Ryan, 2018) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Hit Man across media.
What hooked you in Hit Man was the way ordinary people adopt dangerous, deceptive personas to navigate high-stakes, morally murky situations.
Books on the same thread
Crook Manifesto
Colson Whitehead · Book
Explores: systemic corruption, 1970s urban decay, criminal underworld.
Like the protagonist of Hit Man, these characters find their moral boundaries tested as they navigate a criminal underworld where survival depends on maintaining a complex, dangerous facade.
Woman Down
Colleen Hoover · Book
Explores: toxic relationships, power dynamics, creative burnout.
Much like the shifting power dynamics in Hit Man, this story explores how a professional relationship spirals into a tense, unpredictable game of personal and emotional deception.
Billy Summers
Stephen King · Book · 2021
Shares 2 threads with Hit Man: moral ambiguity, neo-noir.
If you appreciated the professional isolation and moral ambiguity of the lead in Hit Man, you will resonate with this hitman seeking redemption in his final job.
Get Shorty
Elmore Leonard · Book · 1990
Explores: Fish-out-of-water, Hollywood satire, Mobster in Hollywood.
This novel shares the comedic career-change energy of Hit Man, following a mobster who finds himself hilariously out of his element while infiltrating a new, glamorous social world.
Series on the same thread
Mr Inbetween
Scott Ryan · Series · 2018
Shares 2 threads with Hit Man: Moral Ambiguity, Dark Comedy.
Ray Shoesmith perfectly mirrors the double life found in Hit Man, balancing the mundane reality of his personal relationships with the grim requirements of his criminal profession.
A Man on the Inside
Michael Schur · Series · 2024
Shares a thread with Hit Man: Crime Comedy.
This series captures the spirit of a mild-mannered academic thrust into undercover work, mirroring the unexpected transformation and investigative thrill that defined the lead in Hit Man.
RIPLEY
Steven Zaillian · Series · 2024
Shares 2 threads with Hit Man: Moral Ambiguity, Neo-Noir.
The obsession with identity and the thrill of maintaining a false persona central to Hit Man are pushed to their darkest, most gripping extremes in this psychological drama.
The Gentlemen
Guy Ritchie · Series · 2024
Shares 2 threads with Hit Man: Moral Ambiguity, Crime Comedy.
This series leans into the same dark comedy and moral ambiguity seen in Hit Man, focusing on an unlikely person forced to manage a chaotic criminal enterprise.
Podcasts on the same thread
Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén
Spotify Studios · Podcast · 2026
Explores: dark human nature, criminal psychology, public fascination.
If the dark human nature and criminal psychology behind the stings in Hit Man intrigued you, these deep dives into real-world cons and heists offer a similar fascination.
Small Town Murder
James Pietragallo, Jimmie Whisman · Podcast · 2026
Explores: provincial life, tragic irony, forensic breakdown.
These hosts mirror the comedic approach to dark subject matter found in Hit Man, blending forensic analysis with a sharp, cynical wit that highlights the absurdity of crime.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Hit Man based on a true story or a fictional adaptation?
Hit Man is a 2024 film directed by Richard Linklater. The story focuses on a mild-mannered professor who moonlights as a fake hit man for police stings. The film is a standalone production and is not part of a larger book series or literary adaptation.
What is the premise of the movie Hit Man?
Hit Man follows a mild-mannered professor who works undercover as a fake hit man in police stings. His life becomes complicated when he falls for a potential client, which triggers a chain reaction of trouble for the professor and his operation.
Does Hit Man have any sequels or prequels?
Hit Man is a standalone 2024 film directed by Richard Linklater. There are no sequels, prequels, or other versions of the story in the current catalog, so you can enjoy this specific narrative as a complete and independent viewing experience.
How does the plot of Hit Man unfold?
The plot of Hit Man centers on a professor who poses as a hit man for police sting operations. The narrative tension escalates when he chooses to help a potential client rather than arrest her, leading to a series of unexpected and difficult consequences.