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Murder by Contract (1958)

Crime | 81 minutes
3,48 65 votes

Genre: Crime / Filmnoir

Duration: 81 minuten

Country: United States

Directed by: Irving Lerner

Stars: Vince Edwards, Phillip Pine and Herschel Bernardi

IMDb score: 7,2 (5.150)

Releasedate: 18 December 1958

US
UK

This movie is not available on US streaming services.

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Murder by Contract plot

"Double rates for women... because a woman is always double-trouble!"

Claude is a ruthless freelance assassin. He is offered a lucrative assignment by a major criminal gang, who has a problem with a witness. But the witness turns out to be an important person and it will be quite a job for Claude to bring this case to a successful conclusion.

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Full Cast & Crew

Actors and actresses

Billie Williams

Mary - Secretary / Party Girl

Harry - Hotel Room Waiter

Miss Wiley, ex-maid

Detective shooting Tear Gas

James William Mayflower

Reviews & comments


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avatar van starbright boy

starbright boy (moderator films)

  • 22396 messages
  • 5068 votes

This is not much less than a masterpiece. In an alternate universe, if someone like Antonioni had ended up in the US and made low budget studio films, it would have become something like Murder By Contract. All in all a very disturbing film. Supported by Vince Edwards, a sporty athletic actor who finds just the right tone to act in this style exercise. In addition, there is a very unusual soundtrack with electric guitar for Hollywood standards at the time. Cameraman was not just anyone either, namely Lucien Ballard, later known for films by Sam Peckinpah (The Wild Bunch) and also worked with von Sternberg, Boetticher, Stanley Kubrick and Samuel Fuller. Ben Simcoe wrote the film based on a book together with the blacklisted Ben Maddow who had a thing for transversity and also worked on The Wild One and Johnny Guitar.

Super stylish, much of the action is off screen and sometimes undercooled elusive humour. Psychologically challenging and several years ahead of its time. Just made for a studio and for Shadows, which was a revolutionary movie in the US.

My favorite noirvember movie so far and so many better movies haven't been made in 50's Hollywood.

dutch flagTranslated from Dutch · View original

avatar van ZAP!

ZAP!

  • 5448 messages
  • 3621 votes

It starts well. But the hitman who deceives his 'handlers' for days only to suddenly run away during a movie visit and then chases them to find out if they are not being pursued themselves and finally finds out that it is target is a woman and he makes such a problem ... the word 'nonsensical' comes to mind (and of course you can see it from afar that the female officer was shot instead of the pianist [/spoilers]). Yet in between you can still enjoy the laidback soundtrack, the very nice and interesting dialogues / monologues and the finale is certainly worth it.

All in all, an interesting movie, or an interesting failure, if you will. A six.

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avatar van Bobbejaantje

Bobbejaantje

  • 2260 messages
  • 2062 votes

Superb crime movie. It is one of those films that has an existentialist approach. The main character practices a philosophy that allows him to kill people as a business transaction. It's certainly not the only movie of its kind from this era. In the film, this premise is excellently supported by the soundtrack written and performed on guitar by Perry Botkin. Botkin's score reminds me of The Third Man soundtrack which also had a similar effect. This would never have been possible with a standard orchestral soundtrack. And thanks to the budget constraints. Partly because of this, the film seems modern to me. That, and also the fact that television with remote control already existed in 1958 . The movie definitely has a well-developed plot with some original twists. The acting performances are fine: with the right intensity and attitude. The lighting is modal, so no visual play with light and shadow as in A-movies. Again, this is a low budget film. It is, however, enjoying the cityscapes of LA in the late 1950s.

dutch flagTranslated from Dutch · View original