I Hired a Contract Killer (1990)

After fifteen years' service, Henri Boulanger is made redundant from his job. Shocked, he attempts suicide, but can't go through with it, so he hires a contract killer in a seedy bar to ... See full summary »

Director:

Aki Kaurismäki

Writers:

Aki Kaurismäki (story), Aki Kaurismäki (screenplay)

Stars:

Jean-Pierre Léaud, Margi Clarke, Kenneth Colley

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean-Pierre Léaud	...	Henri Boulanger
Margi Clarke	...	Margaret
Kenneth Colley	...	Harry the Killer
T.R. Bowen	...	Department Head (as Trevor Bowen)
Imogen Claire	...	Secretary (as Immogen Clare) (as Imogen Clare)
Angela Walsh	...	Landlady
Cyril Epstein	...	Taxi Driver
Nicky Tesco	...	Pete
Charles Cork	...	Al
Michael O'Hagan	...	Harry the Killer's Boss
Tex Axile	...	Barkeeper
Walter Sparrow	...	Hotel Porter
Tony Rohr	...	Frank the Doctor
Joe Strummer	...	Guitar Player / Singer
Peter Graves	...	Jeweller

Storyline

After fifteen years' service, Henri Boulanger is made redundant from his job. Shocked, he attempts suicide, but can't go through with it, so he hires a contract killer in a seedy bar to murder him at some unspecified time in the future. But almost immediately he meets and falls in love with Margaret, a flower-seller, which makes Henri realise that his life has some meaning after all. But when he goes back to the bar to cancel the contract, he finds it has been demolished - and there's no way he can get in touch with the killer...

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Plot Keywords:

loneliness | loner | contract to have oneself murdered | telephone book | 1980s | 

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Taglines:

Lej aldrig yrkesmördare i rivningskåkar! [Never hire a professional killer in a condemned building!]

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Finland Sweden Germany France UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 October 1990 (Finland)

Also Known As:

I Hired a Contract Killer

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Villealfa Filmproductions, Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI), Finnkino

Technical Specs

Runtime:

79 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Last cinema film of Peter Graves.

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Quotes

Margaret: You are crazy, Henri.
Henri Boulanger: I can't help it.

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Connections

Remake of Man lebt nur einmal (1952)

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Soundtracks

Cuesta abajo
Music by Carlos Gardel
Lyrics by Alfredo Le Pera
Performed by Carlos Gardel

User Reviews

Kaurismaki for beginners

Among the few Kaurismaki films I have seen so far, this is the one I think the most accessible and I strongly recommend it. My impression of it is completely vivid as I have just watched it minutes ago from the box I was offered a year ago for my 30's: a great present for movie maniacs. Kaurismaki does not film Helsinki this time, but another capital:London, with the same kind of views, the same urban landscapes, the beauty and the strangeness, the same insisting and passionate obsession than Scorsese with his New York. You still can find the same taciturnity of characters (perfect Kenneth Colley as the killer: I was glad to recognize Admiral Piett from The Empire Strikes Back), the same type of slow narration, though this time, the story is far simpler to understand upon first visualization. It deals with life and its contradictions, the preciosity of it, changes of mind and regrets, how desire between two people can make you see things differently, make you want to live on ; love regardless of social discrimination, that is so beautiful and yet so ideal! Another great point in Kaurismaki's films consists in the appropriate inclusion of a more or less famous rock music: perfect Joe Strummer, RIP. A great moment of poetry in cinema and a perfect film fit for beginners in Kaurismaki.