Hard Contract

Ponderous? At times. Pretentious? Sure, a little. But what a strange, sumptuous, utterly hypnotic experience this is. I haven't seen all that many from this time period but it is quite unlike anything else I can think of. There are stylistic similarities to Nicholas Roeg I guess, with intentionally disorienting editing and jarring perspectives, but that's about all that comes to mind. And perhaps Richard Rush's great "THE STUNT MAN". The seamless, fluid dissolves are what stick with me the most; just the way cryptic little bits of dialogue evaporate at the end of one scene and haunt the next. The movie has an elusive, swirling quality; watching it you sometimes have the feeling that you are weightless and that this is a vision of some afterlife or parallel world.

It's really driving at something, this film. Its many enigmatic characters are constantly circling each other, digging, trying to figure out what makes them tick, whether or not they're one of "them" or one of "us". Made in 1969, I think the film is an understandably confused, troubled reaction to what was undoubtedly an incredibly turbulent decade. Its biggest fear is that terror and violence have become so commonplace they are no longer the exclusive property of evil. "Good" may use them too in steadily increasing proportions, and soon the two are indistinguishable. But there is also a sense of some small hope here, a chance for redemption, rebirth. James Coburn's last bitten off words echo chillingly as the credits roll: "Watch And See. Watch And See".

A paid assassin who only sleeps with prostitutes is sent to Spain to carry out an "assignment" and in the process meets a young woman. He bumps off a few victims but he's such a pro the viewer doesn't see much, if any, violence. This isn't a violent picture, though the ending will have you squirming a little as he drives a car load of people along a windy mountain road, seemingly contemplating whether to kill them all, as they beg him to slow down. James Coburn is excellent in the part, a combination womanizer/contract killer who seemingly doesn't have either the time or inclination to get involved, a classic casually immoral role in which he has an ongoing professional relationship with a prostitute played by Karen Black and later meets another sex professional in Belgium. It's almost too bad that Lee Remick's character interrupts this life of his, but she does bring out a more human and sympathetic side that confounds his supervisor, in a great part for Burgess Meredith.

Hired American assassin (with a predilection for prostitutes but an aversion to kissing--or, indeed, feeling anything) gets a new assignment: kill three men for one client, all in Europe. Once there, he meets a chatty jet-setter who works steadily to break down his walls, though getting to know her and her wealthy friends means becoming sociable with one of his targets. Modern-day story, an original from writer S. Lee Pogostin (who also directed), has plush production, beautiful cinematography by Jack Hildyard and lovely scoring by Alex North, but it cannot manage an even balance between drama, romance, intrigue and travelogue. Pogostin enjoys 'deep,' prattling conversations about the meaning of life, but his metaphor-heavy narrative (with political and fascist undertones and finger-pointing at the media for making us all immune to the horrors of violence) just isn't gripping. The scene transitions often overlap in a lazy, dream-like fashion, and the dazed performers are equally as narcotizing. Not a good vehicle for star James Coburn, who weighs in once in a while with a villainous, mischievous smile but otherwise seems at half-mast. Lee Remick plays his love-interest, Sterling Hayden is a bearded mystery man, Burgess Meredith is Coburn's boss, and a young Karen Black turns up as a hooker who loves to say "I love you." Curious, but memorable only because it is so blatantly odd. *1/2 from ****

If you like hit man films, this one is not for you. But if you want to see some fine acting, there is a scene near the end of this film between James Coburn and Sterling Hayden which is absolutely superb. Coburn is the young hit-man (he's 41) and Hayden is the retired hit-man who has given up killing (he's 53 at the time).

Other than this, it's a pretty ordinary film and is less a hit-man film than it is an existential film

My favorite hit-man films are Leon: The Professional 1994, Pulp Fiction 1994, In Bruges 2008, La Femme Nikita 1990, The Killers 1964, This Gun for Hire 1942, The Long kiss goodnight 1996, The Bourne Identity (2202, Supremacy (2004), Ultimatum 2007, Kill Bill 2003. 2004, Gross Pointe Blank 1997, Hit-man 2007, Memory of a Killer (2003), Collateral 2004, and Colombiana 2011

This is by no means a suspenseful edge of your seat offering, but it is somewhat enjoyable due to the film locations and the soul searching, quasi-existential dialog that seems to question morality, or lack thereof, in so many shapes and forms. To hit or not to hit, (another human being, that is!), is one of our tiring assassin's (James Coburn) looming questions. So much for hitting others for the so called good of freedom and democracy; our lead character is finding in himself an evolution of kindness and tenderness, brought upon in no small manner by the vivacious femme fatale (Lee Remick) who slowly but surely brings into focus things our lead character has ignored all too often during the course of his existence.

The plot works its way to a mainly Mediterranean and European base of operations and the entire cast seems to have fun in throwing their metaphorical two cents worth of philosophical rambling. Lili Palmer, Burgess Meredith and Sterling Hayden provide the best lines of the supporting crew and all provide our lead actor with plenty of set-up lines for his consumption and subsequent reaction.

Not a great movie, but a fun glimpse into a sample of the film making mode of the latter 60's. In short, a nice hour and forty-five minute escapist period piece, indeed!!