Murder by Contract (1958)

Claude is a ruthless and efficient contract killer - until he finds his next target is a woman.

Director:

Irving Lerner

Writer:

Ben Simcoe

Stars:

Vince Edwards, Phillip Pine, Herschel Bernardi

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Vince Edwards	...	Claude
Phillip Pine	...	Marc
Herschel Bernardi	...	George
Caprice Toriel	...	Billie Williams
Michael Granger	...	Mr. Moon
Kathie Browne	...	Mary - Secretary and Party Girl (as Cathy Browne)
Joseph Mell	...	Harry - Hotel Room Waiter
Frances Osborne	...	Miss Wiley - Ex-maid
Steven Ritch	...	Detective Shooting Tear Gas
Janet Brandt
Davis Roberts	...	Hall of Records Clerk
Don Garrett	...	James William Mayflower - Plainclothesman
Gloria Victor	...	Miss Wexley - Bunco Squad

Storyline

Claude is a young man with a regular job, no history of trouble with the law and no chance of making any real money. He also has the brains and emotional detachment to make the big bucks as a hit man, and that becomes his new job title. A string of successful hits gets him sent to Los Angeles for his latest job. There he is accompanied by two goons: one who is perpetually nervous and the other who quickly worships the young man as a hero. The cold, ruthless hit man finally becomes unglued when he finds out that his latest target is a woman. She's a witness, set to testify against his boss, and guarded day and night by the police. It's her femininity that worries Claude: women are unpredictable, they don't do what you expect. Claude eventually proves that he is the unpredictable one and his own worst enemy.

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Plot Keywords:

target | contract killer | witness | death | cigar smoking | 

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Taglines:

It's Kill or Be Killed!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

December 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

Assassinio per contratto

Filming Locations:

Chaplin Studio, 1416 N. La Brea Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Orbit Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The abandoned movie studio location in the film is the former Charlie Chaplin Studio.

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Goofs

When the three are driving around in Los Angeles it is very obvious that the car is in the studio in front of a projection screen. You can see that the windshield has been removed and studio lights are reflected in Claude's sunglasses.

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Quotes

Claude: The only type killing that's safe is when a stranger kills a stranger. No motive. Nothing to link the victim to the executioner. Now why would a stranger kill a stranger? Because somebody's willing to pay. It's business. Same as any other business. You murder the competition. Instead of price-cutting, throat-cutting. Same thing. There are a lot of people around that would like to see lots of other people die a fast death... only they can't see to it themselves. They got conscience, religion, ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Taxi Driver (1976)

User Reviews

Tense

I first saw this movie when I was a kid and had a crush on Vince Edwards as Ben Casey. Well I am all grown up, no longer have a crush, and still think this movie was excellent for its time. The cold blooded approach of Edwards character Claude, his lack of affect, makes him more menacing than those shouting gun waving villains you usually see in film. This guy knows his job and that's all it is, a job. The music is so monotonous it fits the characters attitude (or lack of one). Even the other bad guys in the film know there is something not quite right about their hired gun. I liked it. Whenever it's on I make it point to try and catch at least some of it.