Filmmakers utilize "stylized violence" to distance the audience from the reality of death. In films like John Wick or Killer , violence is choreographed like a dance. It is beautiful, rhythmic, and lacks the gore and suffering of real-world violence. This aesthetic approach—often accompanied by sleek suits, classical music, and neon lighting—creates a fantasy realm where the hitman is an artist rather than a butcher.

At its core, the hitman romance is a high-stakes variation of the "Beauty and the Beast" trope. But unlike a literal beast, the hitman’s monster is internal. He (or she) is a human who has suppressed empathy to function as a tool of murder.

: Hitman, as a character, embodies the anti-hero trope. The public's fascination with characters who exist outside traditional heroic norms can be linked to the allure of hitman-themed content in popular media. This fascination often explores themes of morality, the consequences of violence, and the human condition.