Vince Edwards plays an Ohio hit-man who is flown to Los Angeles for his next assignment-and is momentarily rattled to find that his next 'hit' is a woman. Tense, low-budget drama from director Irving Lerner (formerly an editor) was allegedly completed in just over a week, yet it has a sharp visual style that catches one off-guard, a crisp look courtesy cinematographer Lucien Ballard. Edwards, swaggering with self-confidence, is well up to the acting challenge of portraying a killer-for-hire with no conscience, though his enigmatic early scenes working for Michael Granger's slightly-skeptical Mr. Moon are the film's strongest moments. Once the action moves to the California coast, the movie becomes a bit more conventional. Composer Perry Botkin contributes a deceptively simple but memorable theme. **1/2 from ****
Review of Murder by Contract
