Star-studded underrated remake of British thriller streaming at home now

One of the year's most underrated movies, this stylish film boasts a truly killer premise.

Streaming through the service NOW, the movie follows Becket (Glen Powell, The Running Man), a young man part of the wealthy Redfellow dynasty, led by billionaire patriarch Whitelaw (Ed Harris).

How to Make a Killing

Growing up, however, Becket never met Whitelaw or experienced the benefits of his riches. Becket's mother was exiled from the clan after becoming pregnant with him as a teen, before dying when Becket was just a boy.

Left an orphan after Whitelaw and the rest of the Redfellows refused to care for him, Becket becomes fixated on his estranged relatives. Realising he'd claim Whitelaw's money if the billionaire and all the remaining Redfellows died, the young man concocts a plan to "prune the family tree".

Watch the trailer for How to Make a Killing right here:

Written and directed by John Patton Ford (Emily the Criminal), How to Make a Killing is a stylish affair, full of impeccably dressed stars; scenes playing out in lavish interiors and scenic exteriors; kinetic, zippy montages; and cool needle drops.

Inspired by the classic '40s British comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets, the film does great work at capturing the underlying tensions which exist between the haves and have-nots. One of the best scenes in How to Make a Killing is early on when Beckett, working as a suit salesman, has a chance encounter with the more affluent Julia (Margaret Qualley).

The pair were friends as children but drifted apart after Becket's mother died. Now adults, the awkwardness radiates off the screen as Julia brags about her jet-setting adventures and new wealthy fiancé (Black '47's James Frecheville), while Becket tries and fails to convey that he is part of the same class.

It's scenes like this - along with Powell's charismatic lead turn, how Becket's mother was abandoned by her family, and the obviously heightened premise - that keep viewers on the lead character's side. This is even as he inveigles his way into the lives of his estranged family members (one of whom is played memorably by Topher Grace) before murdering them in increasingly convoluted ways, killings he never expresses any guilt about.

There is a dark fun to How to Make a Killing, as most members of the Redfellows play into different rich person stereotypes. Comedian Zach Woods is hilarious, portraying Becket's nepo artist cousin, who has a girlfriend (a charming Jessica Henwick) who Becket takes a liking to.

Qualley is also a scene-stealer. This is as the Chanel-wearing Julia embroils herself in Becket's scheme, slowly revealing herself to be a noir-style femme fatale that's even more sociopathic.

Aside from the unexpected bond that forms between Becket and his uncle Warren (the always excellent Bill Camp), the one Redfellow who regrets what happened to Becket's mother, there aren't many surprises in How to Make a Killing. After all, it came after a wave of other class satires, including the Knives Out trilogy, The Menu, No Other Choice, Parasite, Succession, Triangle of Sadness, and The White Lotus.

That said, How to Make a Killing remains a highly entertaining way to spend 100 minutes, thanks to its fine performances, slick direction, and killer premise, and so long as readers go in expecting something pulpy if not exactly profound.

Where to watch How to Make a Killing in Ireland:

How to Make a Killing has just been added to NOW in Ireland and the UK. Irish viewers can sign up to the service's Entertainment package for €5.99 and the Entertainment & HBO Max package for €7.99.

The movie is also streaming in the United States on HBO Max.