‘How To Make a Killing’ Rotten Tomatoes Score Revealed

A24’s latest film, How to Make a Killing, is set to be released on Feb. 20, and now the first reviews of the film have started pouring in. The New York-based production company has already had a strong start to their 2026, with releases like The Moment garnering plenty of buzz and financial success, and Pillion also releasing at the beginning of the month and receiving an impressive 100% “certified fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Unfortunately, How to Make a Killing doesn’t look like it will be following in the footsteps of the aforementioned film, if its current Rotten Tomatoes score is any indication.

Directed by John Patton Ford, How to Make a Killing centers around Glen Powell’s Becket Redfellow, a man disowned at birth by his obscenely wealthy family, who begins killing relatives in order to become the sole inheritor to the Redfellow fortune. Ford had previously directed the 2022 film Emily the Criminal, which was the filmmaker’s first feature and had made waves when it first premiered at Sundance. At the time of this writing, Ford’s latest movie has a 51% “rotten” rating on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 39 reviews. So far, it seems that critics are mixed on the movie, with somewhat negative reviews.

One of the most consistent complaints in the reviews posted thus far involves the script, which was also written by Ford. While the plot surrounding Powell’s charming character working his way up the family tree is entertaining enough, there are apparently some plot holes in the script that keep the story from being even better than it already is. Moreover, it’s these “glaring” plot holes in the script that keep the cast from being able to shine even more, which is surprising given the talent attached to the film.

‘How to Make a Killing’ Has Fallen Short of Expectations

Glen Powell as Becket Redfellow in How to Make a Killing

A24

Some positive reviews that have been added to the Rotten Tomatoes aggregate praise the film for its dark comedy elements, and the satirical nature of the story, which has been a prevalent theme in movies the past few months. Another prominent example of the critique of capitalism and class disparity is Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice, a movie which featured similar themes and plot that centered around a man murdering other people who were in consideration for the same job that he applied for. Sadly, it seems the themes of How to Make a Killing ended up not being as resonant for critics as Park Chan-wook’s film.

The Rotten Tomatoes score for How to Make a Killing is a surprising departure from Ford’s debut feature Emily the Criminal. The movie, which stars Aubrey Plaza, boasts an impressive 93% rating, praised for being a fresh thriller that also serves as biting social commentary. It seems that while Ford tried to continue that trend of telling another story with prevalent social themes, the script for How to Make a Killing ultimately ended up falling short of high expectations. Should the reviews continue to come out mixed, it seems that this Glen Powell-led film will be A24’s first Rotten scored movie they release this year.