Murder By Contract was a strange film, but I really like something quirky now and then and this film noir had its quirks.
I mean, dig that crazy music, man! The soundtrack reminded me of The Third Man with the zither, except here it was guitar. I found it so out-of-place that it was good that way. It got your attention and was effective in an odd manner.
Vince Edwards' character, "Claude," a hit man with a lot of intelligence, was also fun to enjoy. His dialog, and just the way he carried himself through this film, was fascinating. My only disappointment was what he did - or did not do - at the end the film, but I understand why the movie ended as it did. I just thought it would be a perfect ending had they gone the other direction. I'm purposely being vague so as not to spoil things for those who haven't seen it. If you haven't, it is well worth watching, particularly if you're a fan of film noir.
Although a low-budget "B" film shot in just seven days, this had a professional air to it with good acting, direction and photography. I'm glad to see Columbia Pictures do it justice by giving us a nice transfer in their "Columbia Pictures: Film Noir Vol. 1" box set, where this was made available.
Not only did Edwards - a fine actor - achieve big fame a couple of years after this film was made with his mega-hit TV series, "Ben Casey," but Herschel Bernardi, one of the co-stars of this movie, did pretty well, too, by beginning his stint in TV's "Peter Gunn" later in this year (1958). Those two guys, along with Philip Pine, had plenty of small and large-screen work in their resumes.
Did you know this movie was shot in seven days? Wow, it didn't have a rushed look to it. I wish there more of these late-50s noirs. Mixed in was the some of the slang of the '60s. I laughed out loud when someone mentioned "the fuzz," referring to the police. Man, I thought that was pure mid-t0-late '60s talk and was surprised to hear that in this 1958 film. This movie was full of surprises, and most of them were good ones.
I mean, dig that crazy music, man! The soundtrack reminded me of The Third Man with the zither, except here it was guitar. I found it so out-of-place that it was good that way. It got your attention and was effective in an odd manner.
Vince Edwards' character, "Claude," a hit man with a lot of intelligence, was also fun to enjoy. His dialog, and just the way he carried himself through this film, was fascinating. My only disappointment was what he did - or did not do - at the end the film, but I understand why the movie ended as it did. I just thought it would be a perfect ending had they gone the other direction. I'm purposely being vague so as not to spoil things for those who haven't seen it. If you haven't, it is well worth watching, particularly if you're a fan of film noir.
Although a low-budget "B" film shot in just seven days, this had a professional air to it with good acting, direction and photography. I'm glad to see Columbia Pictures do it justice by giving us a nice transfer in their "Columbia Pictures: Film Noir Vol. 1" box set, where this was made available.
Not only did Edwards - a fine actor - achieve big fame a couple of years after this film was made with his mega-hit TV series, "Ben Casey," but Herschel Bernardi, one of the co-stars of this movie, did pretty well, too, by beginning his stint in TV's "Peter Gunn" later in this year (1958). Those two guys, along with Philip Pine, had plenty of small and large-screen work in their resumes.
Did you know this movie was shot in seven days? Wow, it didn't have a rushed look to it. I wish there more of these late-50s noirs. Mixed in was the some of the slang of the '60s. I laughed out loud when someone mentioned "the fuzz," referring to the police. Man, I thought that was pure mid-t0-late '60s talk and was surprised to hear that in this 1958 film. This movie was full of surprises, and most of them were good ones.