Claude is a ruthless and efficient contract killer - until he finds his next target is a woman.
Linda Hamilton and her Terminator: Dark Fate castmates tell Kevin Smith how they fleshed out their characters in the sequel to Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
Related News
-
Everything Coming to The Criterion Channel as it Launches This Month
08 April 2019 | The Wrap -
The Criterion Channel Unveils Launch Lineup for April
25 March 2019 | The Film Stage -
Criterion Channel, Rising From FilmStruck Ashes, Sets April Launch Slate
22 March 2019 | Deadline
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: Murder by Contract (1958)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
1 nomination.
See more awards »
Learn more
More Like This
The Lineup
(1958)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Don Siegel
Stars:
Eli Wallach,
Robert Keith,
Richard Jaeckel
Nightfall
(1956)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Jacques Tourneur
Stars:
Aldo Ray,
Anne Bancroft,
Brian Keith
Drive a Crooked Road
(1954)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Richard Quine
Stars:
Mickey Rooney,
Dianne Foster,
Kevin McCarthy
The Burglar
(1957)
Drama
|
Film-Noir
|
Thriller
Director:
Paul Wendkos
Stars:
Dan Duryea,
Jayne Mansfield,
Martha Vickers
Pushover
(1954)
Certificate: Passed
Crime
|
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Richard Quine
Stars:
Fred MacMurray,
Kim Novak,
Philip Carey
My Name Is Julia Ross
(1945)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Joseph H. Lewis
Stars:
Nina Foch,
May Whitty,
George Macready
Experiment in Terror
(1962)
Crime
|
Mystery
|
Thriller
Director:
Blake Edwards
Stars:
Glenn Ford,
Lee Remick,
Stefanie Powers
Human Desire
(1954)
Drama
|
Film-Noir
|
Romance
Director:
Fritz Lang
Stars:
Glenn Ford,
Gloria Grahame,
Broderick Crawford
So Dark the Night
(1946)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Joseph H. Lewis
Stars:
Steven Geray,
Micheline Cheirel,
Eugene Borden
The Big Heat
(1953)
Crime
|
Film-Noir
|
Thriller
Director:
Fritz Lang
Stars:
Glenn Ford,
Gloria Grahame,
Jocelyn Brando
City of Fear
(1959)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Thriller
Director:
Irving Lerner
Stars:
Vince Edwards,
Lyle Talbot,
John Archer
Edit
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 |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
See All (272) »
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. Written by J. Spurlin
Plot Keywords:
looking at self in mirror | man wearing a tank top | killer | murderer | suitcase |Taglines:
DOUBLE RATES FOR WOMEN...because a woman is always double trouble! See more »Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
Edit
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
December 1958 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Asesinato por contrato See more »Filming Locations:
Chaplin Studio, 1416 N. La Brea Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA See more »Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
[laughs]
Claude: There's a laugh. They think they'll live forever. The way i see it, Harry, everybody lives off everybody else.
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Shot in seven days. See more »Goofs
In the last scene, when Claude is trying to escape through the drainage pipe the pipe is at least four feet high, when it is supposed to be only two feet. See more »Quotes
Claude: [to Harry with contempt] Why are you miserable? Cause you haven't got any dough? And why haven't you got any dough? Because you're too scared to go out and get it yourself. You want it to come to you. Well, nothing comes to you, Harry. Nothing except one thing... death. Death comes to you... comes to everybody. Only everybody thinks they'll live forever.[laughs]
Claude: There's a laugh. They think they'll live forever. The way i see it, Harry, everybody lives off everybody else.
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.Contribute to This Page
On IMDb TV, you can catch Hollywood hits and popular TV series at no cost. Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free!
Explore popular action and adventure titles available to stream with Prime Video.
This little gem has dialogue to die for. Production values? We don't need no stinking production values. Not with lines like "You know what you have to be to get a gun like that, George? A civilized country. Are you a civilized country?" Vince Edwards is awesome. I am convinced this is an ancestor of "Pulp Fiction".