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Murder by Contract

Murder by Contract

Thriller · Crime · 1958

Claude is a ruthless and efficient contract killer. His next target, a woman, is the most difficult.

Movie details

Murder by Contract

“Double rates for women... because a woman is always double-trouble!”

1958 Thriller · Crime 1h 21m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.8 / 10

Community rating

Claude is a ruthless and efficient contract killer. His next target, a woman, is the most difficult.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Murder by Contract?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Nothing is what it seems when a twisted one-night stand spirals into a serial killer’s vicious murder spree.

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A struggling writer in the midst of a divorce befriends a retired serial killer who incidentally becomes his marriage counselor by day, and killing counselor for his next book by night.

I Spit on Your Grave 2

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Jolt

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A bouncer with an anger management problem goes on a furious and resentful rampage after the murder of a friend.

Grindhouse

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Nighthawks

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Action · 1981

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Run All Night

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Action · 2015

Brooklyn mobster and prolific hit man Jimmy Conlon has seen better days. Longtime best friend of a mob boss, Jimmy is haunted by the sins of his past—as well as a dogged police detective who’s been one step behind Jimmy for 30 years. But when Jimmy’s estranged son becomes a target, Jimmy must make a choice between the crime family he chose and the real family he abandoned long ago. Now, with nowhere safe to turn, Jimmy has just one night to figure out exactly where his loyalties lie and to see if he can finally make things right.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Irving Lerner

Written by

Ben Simcoe · Ben Maddow

Vince Edwards

Vince Edwards

Claude

Phillip Pine

Phillip Pine

Marc

Herschel Bernardi

Herschel Bernardi

George

Caprice Toriel

Caprice Toriel

Billie Williams

Michael Granger

Michael Granger

Mr. Moon

Kathie Browne

Kathie Browne

Mary

Joseph Mell

Joseph Mell

Harry

Court is in session

Put Murder by Contract on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.