MURDER BY CONTRACT
Cold, ruthless Claude (Vince Edwards) has no prospects in his young life, so he decides to stake his place in the world as a hired killer. But when he's sent to sunny California to kill a gangland witness, his sudden discovery of "ethics" could prove fatal. This ultra-low-budget gem from director Irving Lerner was shot in only seven days, with a strangely hypnotic pace and a spare, haunting musical theme by guitarist Perry Botkin. It is a personal favorite of director Martin Scorsese, who has admitted the film's stylistic influence on TAXI DRIVER — particularly in the Travis-in-training sequences. (Note courtesy of Noir City.) DIR Irving Lerner; SCR Ben Simcoe, Ben Maddow; PROD Leon Chooluck. U.S., 1958, b&w, 81 min. NOT RATED
MURDER BY CONTRACT also screens as part of a Double Feature with SMOG on Sat, Oct. 19 (introduced by Foster Hirsch) and Wed, Oct. 23. View details here.
Run Time: 81 Minutes
Opening Date: Monday, October 21, 2024
Genre: Film noir
