Murder By Contract (1958)

Starring Vince Edwards (City of Fear) and Herschel Bernardi (The Front), Murder by Contract is a bleak investigation into the mind of a professional killer.Tasked with murdering a witness in a criminal trial, contract killer Claude has second thoughts when the target turns out to be a woman... because women cost double. Killing is just a business to Claude, but when he tries to quit, the hunter become the hunted.The once-blacklisted writer-director team of Ben Maddow (Framed) and Irving Lerner (City of Fear) bring you this stylish, minimalist, and eccentric film noir, beautifully photographed by Lucien Ballard (Bullfighter and the Lady, The Wild Bunch), and championed by Martin Scorsese who has described it as one of his biggest influences.High Definition presentationOriginal mono audioAudio commentary with film critic and writer Farran Smith Nehme (2021)Introduction by Martin Scorsese (2014, 5 mins)Swedes in America (1943, 18 mins): Irving Lerner’s Oscar-nominated short film, presented by Ingrid Bergman, detailing the influence of Swedish immigrants on the United StatesViolence Is the Word for Curly (1938, 18 mins): comedy short starring the Three Stooges, which provided an early cinematography credit for Murder by Contract’s prolific director of photography, Lucien Ballard Original theatrical trailerLarry Karaszewski trailer commentary (2020, 3 mins): short critical appreciationImage gallery: publicity and promotional materialNew and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing