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Murder by Contract
Murder by Contract
7.9
/10
650 Ratings

MURDER BY CONTRACT

Directed by Irving Lerner
United States, 1958
Crime, Drama, Film noir

Synopsis

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.

Synopsis

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.

Our take

One of Martin Scorsese’s favorite films, this noir was produced when the genre was fading but in turn the films made got leaner, meaner, and tougher. It is in this era and films like Irving Lerner’s that you can find inspiration for the darkest sides of neo-noir, from Taxi Driver to Abel Ferrara.