How ‘Hit Man’ Director Richard Linklater Made a True Story Funny

The phrase “based on a true story” seems to mean less and less as time goes on. The line between fiction and reality can be blurred as stories are dramatized for the big screen, but there are stories willing to have some genuine fun while going beyond the truth. Richard Linklater‘s latest film Hit Man, which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival, is one such project, pulling from the real story of philosophy professor and undercover cop Gary Johnson to create a mix of a screwball comedy and a true crime thriller. While at the festival, Linklater spoke with Collider’s Steve Weintraub at our TIFF media studio at the Cinema Center at MARBL about the film and where it stands in relation to reality.

​ Richard Linklater explained where reality ends and fiction begins in his new sort of true crime comedy Hit Man.