The success of Hit Man, Richard Linklaters new comedy that has garnered glowing reviews heralding Glen Powells emergence as a true movie star, largely boils down to one factor: illicit attraction. Its the kind that powers fantasies and a good portion of human behavior, whether wed like to admit it or not.

Theres the pull of Powells Gary, a nerdy thirtysomething psychology professor in New Orleans, moonlighting as an undercover impersonator of hired killers, trying on different, more confident identities for size. Theres the longstanding, vicarious thrill of watching ethically dubious protagonists flitter through a well-oiled crime caper. And most especially, theres the heat between Gary, in disguise as a suave hitman, and Adria Arjonas Madison, a potential client with whom he has the type of identity-incinerating sex that leads to cocooning in a townhouse and making unwise choices.

Whether or not the chemistry or the moments of sex in Hit Man still relatively rare for the big screen these days turns you on is between you and your screen of choice (the film, regrettably, only got a short theatrical release before its move to Netflix this weekend). But the fact that Hit Man is trying to with panache, taut mind games and movie-star charisma makes the film a throwback, of sorts, to the sexy, starry Hollywood movies of yore. The film invokes not only Hollywoods long-running fascination with ruthless hired guns, but also 1940s screwball films, lush 90s romantic comedies and, in Garys dumbstruck lust and Madisons inscrutable motivations, recalls the peak 80s erotic thriller Body Heat. Hit Man knowingly plays with fantasy: what people imagine of a hitman, how two characters are transformed by sex and the type of hot, smooth hyper-competence that can only be fulfilled on screen. (The ruggedly handsome Powell, for what its worth, is never convincing as an IT nerd.)

Hit Man is the latest film this year to suggest that Hollywood is trying to bring sexiness, if not always actual sex, back to the big screen, at a time of superhero fatigue, years of relative sexlessness on screen and routine box office woe. Powell is coming off a starring turn opposite Sydney Sweeney in the sleeper hit Anyone But You, the rare R-rated romcom which grossed $219m through word-of mouth and TikTok; this summer, hell lead Twisters, a standalone sequel to the 90s disaster flick that, as one Letterboxd reviewer memorably put it, teaches that good storm chasers must want to fuck the storm. (You dont face your fears. You ride em, says Powell in the trailer, suggesting a faithful adaptation). Love Lies Bleeding, starring Kristen Stewart and Katy OBrian, gives the neo-noir a sapphic twist, two sweaty female bodies entwined in various states of undress.

The mere suggestion of a threesome between tennis players Tashi (Zendaya), Art (Mike Faist) and Patrick (Josh OConnor) in Luca Guadagninos lustful Challengers sent the internet into a tizzy and theaters to sell throuple ticket discounts upon release.Anne Hathaway, who became famous during the sunset days of the mid-budget theatrical film, lent her talents to Amazons The Idea of You, a premium-grade adaptation of One Direction fan fiction in which a 40-year-old Los Angeles mom has a taboo affair with a fictionalized Harry Styles. A similar premise famous younger man dating middle-aged mom is presented with Netflix sheen in A Family Affair, starring Zac Efron and Nicole Kidman, due later this month.

Judging by the screams at The Idea of You screening I attended, among a slew of other metrics, the culture needs it. Though 2023 marked a relatively good year for sex on screen, from Poor Things to Saltburn to All of Us Strangers and a wave of R-rated raunch comedies, sex in cinema has been on the decline for over a decade, owing to the demise of mid-budget adult films and the predominance of four-quadrant superhero fare. The number of sex scenes in US movies in the 2010s was the lowest in decades, on par with the 1960s, according to a study by the Black Lists Kate Hagen using IMDb data. A study by the Economist, looking at sexual content (excluding assault) in the 250 top-grossing films per year, found a 40% decrease since 2000.

In other words, the bar is low low enough that most of these newer films coast on the mere suggestion of sex, and the simple prioritization of desire, rather than actual graphic sex scenes. The Fall Guy, Hollywoods most recent box office disappointment, was a romp of sexy spectacle pyrotechnics, car chases, elaborate stunts for Ryan Goslings stuntman character to win back his lost love (Emily Blunt) without any actual sex. Challengers arguably contained less actual sex than its marketing material sold, but the film luxuriated in the energy of it. Characters dripped sweat; Guadagn