Murder By Contract (1958)

"The only type of killing that's safe is when a stranger kills a stranger. No motive. Nothing to link the victim to the executioner. Now why would a stranger kill a stranger? Because somebody's willing to pay. It's business. Same as any other business. You murder the…

Josh Lewis

"Murder by Contract" is regarded by Martin Scorsese as the film that has influenced him the most, and it's clear to see why. It's a cool, stylish noir that was ahead of its time, and it's clear to see its influence on films like "L'assassino" and "Taxi Driver," to name but…

Ben Hibburd

This is a superb suspense thriller! Murder by Contract is a lean, efficent little B-movie focusing on a contract killer as he attempts to carry out a hit on a female target. The film is way ahead of its time - taking obvious influence from the European films of the same…

Slig001

queen of staying home queen of staying alive

KYK

I Heard You Buy Houses A hitman with a cool, creepy detatched psychopathy driven by economic ambition and a superiority complex drives around L.A. lecturing waiters and secretaries about hard work, economic darwinism, and the financial downside of having emotions. Like…

laird

Taking some cues from the Ealing Studios humor (especially The Ladykillers), this is a fun film noir of sorts about a hitman whose hired to take down a woman, but what seems like an easy job turns into a big hassle when the target proves to be much luckier and smarter than…

Rafael "Mister Movie" Jovine

A young go getter wants to skip several rungs on the ladder to the American dream by becoming a contract killer. He already has a good job and has never been to jail, but he moves up quickly and masters a “never use a gun” technique until he has to take out a federal…

Will Menaker

Vague spoilers in the last paragraph. Directed by Irving Lerner and shot in just over a week by master cinematographer Lucien Ballard, Murder by Contract was clearly influenced by Lerner's past work on documentaries, presenting events with a disciplined, emotional…

sakana1

I WON’T WORK AGAINST THE JINX —Shot in 8 days —One of Marty’s biggest influences (later employed the director, Irving Lerner, as supervising editor on New York, New York & dedicated the film to him) —Lucien Ballard DP (The Killing, The Wild Bunch, The Getaway) —Perry…

Amy Hensarling