Arjona, Adria (1992- )

The director Richard Linklater narrates a pivotal sequence from his rom-com thriller.In “Anatomy of a Scene,” we ask directors to reveal the secrets that go into making key scenes in their movies. See new episodes in the series on Fridays. You can also watch our collection of more than 150 videos on YouTube and subscribe to our YouTube channel.The following includes spoilers for “Hit Man.”Actions speak louder, and more flirtatiously, than words in this key sequence from “Hit Man,” the rom-com thriller from Richard Linklater now streaming on Netflix.During the movie’s screenings at film festivals last year, this particular scene had audiences erupting with applause for the feat that it pulls off. It’s “kind of a performance within a performance within a performance,” Linklater says in his narration.At this point in the movie, the lead character, Gary Johnson (Glen Powell), is at a turning point. He has been working undercover with the New Orleans Police Department as a hit man named Ron. In that role, he developed a secret romantic relationship with a woman who initially tried to solicit Ron for his services. Her name is Madison (Adria Arjona) and she was going to hire Ron to kill her abrasive husband, but Ron talks her out of it.Madison’s husband later ends up dead, and the police think that Madison is the killer. One of the officers, Jasper (Austin Amelio) has seen Gary and Madison together in public and has suspicions about what’s going on with the two. He decides to put a wire on Gary and send him to talk with Madison in the hopes of creating an entrapment scenario. But to save Madison (and himself), Gary thinks fast and comes up with a way to warn Madison that they are under surveillance.He types out information to her through his Notes app on his phone and directs her through what to say, and not say, in their conversation, in an exchange that is both sexy and flirty, while also being a tense high-wire act.“It’s fun to see your hero, the guy you’re invested in, kind of figure his way out of a really sticky, tight situation that I don’t think any of us would be quick enough to find a way out of,” Linklater says.“It’s a dance, and it’s just fun to see them figure it out as they go.”Read the “Hit Man” review.Sign up for the Movies Update newsletter and get a roundup of reviews, news, Critics’ Picks and more. More