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Murder by Contract

Columbia Noir • 1h 20m

Directed by Irving Lerner • 1958 • United States
Starring Vince Edwards, Phillip Pine, Herschel Bernardi

Vince Edwards stars as a hired assassin whose latest “assignment” (Caprice Toriel) is about to testify against the mob. But this particular target is not so easy to get at. So he waits . . . and waiting gives the assassin what he needs least: time to think. Cited by Martin Scorsese as a B-movie favorite, MURDER BY CONTRACT has lean, efficient direction by Irving Lerner (CITY OF FEAR), complemented by the stark black-and-white cinematography of Lucien Ballard (THE WILD BUNCH).

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