Runtime: 81 minutes
Directed by: Irving Lerner
Starring: Vince Edwards, Phillip Pine, Herschel Bernardi, Cathy Browne, Caprice Toriel
From: Columbia
A film noir that feels ahead of its time. This played Sunday night on the Criterion Channel as the second half of a double-bill with Gilda. While Gilda I knew of for many years due to its popularity & star-making performance by Rita Hayworth, Murder by Contract is one I was less familiar with. It was one that slipped through the cracks; besides the number of people who have rated it online, none other than Scorsese has noted it as being a big influence literally since before I was born.
At least that mistake has finally been fixed. This tale of Claude (Vince Edwards) wanting to become a hitman to have a second income-no, really-and wouldn’t you know it, after a few successful hits done at the behest of a mysterious leader, he’s asked to perform a big hit in Los Angeles. There are complications… the big draw was how modern this felt.
Besides the monologues that Claude would deliver to random characters, the interactions he had w/ his handlers George & Marc proved to be the crux of the movie. Heck, when it’s just George & Marc talking to each other I thought “Tarantino” more than once but when Claude conversates w/ one or both of his handlers, it’s a delight. So is the score from Perry Botkin where the guitar’s the only instrument. The movie slows down for a bit once Claude arrives in Los Angeles but not only does it pick up again, the time it spent presenting the trio’s dynamic in this understated world is quite enthralling.
As this also features several ingenious ways of killing a target, Murder by Contract exceeded my expectations where many comparisons can be made; this includes Godard, Bresson, and for certain I agree w/ the nods to Jean-Pierre Melville. It was rather startling to see such a ruthless, cold-blooded lead character in a late 50’s movie set in SoCal.
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