Martin Scorsese on MURDER BY CONTRACT

Growing up, a young Martin Scorsese would goto see all kinds of movies with family and friends in New York City. We’ve all heard him mention the Golden Age studio classics he cites as being highly inspirational to his work such as The Red Shoes, Duel in The Sun and The Searchers (just to name a few) but he also was just as big a fan of B-films he would see on double bills along with those. One that really stood out for him and his pals was Murder By Contract (1958) an existentialist film noir directed by Irving Lerner. The story focuses on Claude (Vince Edwards) who takes a job as a hitman. The film has been praised for its minimalism and sharply focused way of telling the story without need for much exposition. In this video, Martin Scorsese discusses how much it impressed him and has found its way into his own work such as Taxi Driver and The Departed.

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