Instant Favorite.

Great Film overall

Absolutely amazing

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

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 It's time, and It's clear to see It's Influence on films like L'assassino, Taxi Driver to name but a few.Vince Edwards has a magnetic screen presence In this film as he plays an Ice cool, calculating hit-man named Claude. Who's trying to break Into the hit-man business, rather then spending the next 20+ years working a regular job to buy a house. Claude Is methodical and precise In his business, never allowing for emotion to get In his way. He never uses a gun or knife, as he never does anything Illegal that can get him caught. He's meticulous In planning out every murder, which makes It Intriguing to see him go about organising his hits. Things soon become complicated when he discovers that his next target Is a woman, despite assuming she was a man. The contract Is made even more challenging as she has round the clock Police protection.Murder by Contract Is directed by Irving Lerner, and It has a fantastic stylish tone, It reminded me In a-lot of ways to Branded to Kill. He also does an efficient job of keeping the plot rolling without It every really lagging, except towards the end of the second act, when It plods along for about 10-15 minutes. Whilst It did have a couple of dull moments, and an ill thought out plot twist towards the end. It builds towards an effective, If minimalist climax that fits perfectly with the tone of the film.It's a shame this film has become slightly forgotten as It's clearly had a-lot of Influence on Cinema, this Is a film that's ripe for being re- discovered by a new generation of film lovers.

This is an effective, enjoyable low budget crime film shot in 6 days. It is carried by the handsome and charismatic Vince Edwards, in a role before he achieved TV stardom as Dr. Ben Casey in the early 1960s. I came across this completely at random on YouTube and it was a pleasant surprise. This is the type of B-movie that thrived on the youth-oriented, highly profitable drive-in movie circuit. I recommend this.

I enjoyed this film, I gave it a 7. But I've a couple of gripes to offer.... it's described as a film noir but it's not. Most of the scenes are shot in broad daylight, and the indoor and night-time scenes are properly lit. So there's no hint of chiaroscuro, no dark sinister shadow in any of it. Also, there's no femme fatale egging the guy on to do the wrong thing. The female (intended) victim is certainly no Barbara Stanwyck. Nice to hear her playing the Bach 2nd English Suite by the way, I wonder how many times that has been played in a movie? Michael Granger (as Mr Moon) looks a lot like Richard Conte by the way, an actor who (with Elisha Cook Jr) almost defines the noir genre. But, as I said, this is no film noir.The killer is supposed to be an ice-cold pro but he basically wasted an entire week goofing around before getting on with the job. No wonder George and Marc were cross with him. When he came, eventually, to case the joint he learned for the first time that the target was guarded 24/7 by a lot of cops and that this was not going to be an easy kill. With more thinking and observation time maybe he would not have messed up. In fact, maybe he would have worked out the storm-drain approach from the beginning. But then, of course, the film would have ended 20 minutes sooner and it would not have had the ending required by the production code!Nevertheless, it's an enjoyable movie. The ending (as so often with otherwise promising films) is a bit lame, otherwise it would have been an 8.The reason I looked this movie out is the reference to it in Martin Scorsese's documentary. But, apart from showing a brief clip from it, Mr Scorsese says nothing about it at all, except that he liked it. Which is a shame, I wish he had said more.

The gay lovers in "The Big Combo" are a fascinating touch. The relationship between Eli Wallach and Robert Keith in "The Lineup" is complicated and intriguing -- and plausible.But back then, homosexuality was still classified as a form of psychiatric illness. And in those two films, as well as in the one at hand, we have gay hit men. Are the portraits meant to include gay men in the mainstream or are they meant to suggest that one is the same as the other: being gay and being a killer? Please understand: I have no personal information about Vince Edwards. He was in the "Ben Casey" series before I had access to television and he became a star. Here, though he is the character of the title.And though he is not overtly gay, I have to think this movie was quite a turn-on for gay men in those repressed times: It opens with Edwards shaving while wrapped in a towel. We see him naked from the waist up, we see him in a bathing suit. Many times.And he is not only a hit man but he is also a loner. A meticulous loner. And he says on many occasions throughout the film that he dislikes women; that they have no place in the world.The movie itself is spare and fairly effective. If its equivalent were to come out today, it would likely play at Sundance.The primary female role is played as highly unsympathetic. She is also played as rather butch.So where does that leave us? More to the point, where did it leave the viewer in 1958? It isn't the sort of movie about gay men that came a little later in which they were either mocked or in which they committed suicide. But the characters are cold, soulless.That's kind of a broad generalization, isn't it?