I Hired a Contract Killer (1990)

Director:

Aki Kaurismäki

Writers:

Aki Kaurismäki (story)
Aki Kaurismäki (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

13 September 1990 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy

Tagline:

Lej aldrig yrkesmoerdare i rivningskaakar!

Plot:

After fifteen years' service, Henri Boulanger is made redundant from his job. Shocked, he attempts suicide...

Plot Keywords:

Assassination | Hitman | Suicide By Hitman | Suicide Attempt | Layoff

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Jean-Pierre Léaud	...	Henri Boulanger
Margi Clarke	...	Margaret
Kenneth Colley	...	The Killer
T.R. Bowen	...	Department Head (as Trevor Bowen)
Imogen Claire	...	Secretary (as Immogen Clare)
Angela Walsh	...	Landlady
Cyril Epstein	...	Taxi Driver
Nicky Tesco	...	Pete
Charles Cork	...	Al
Michael O'Hagan	...	The Killer's Boss
Tex Axile	...	Barkeeper
Walter Sparrow	...	Hotel Porter
Tony Rohr	...	Frank
Joe Strummer	...	Guitar Player / Singer
Peter Graves	...	Jeweller

Also Known As:

J'ai engagé un tueur (France)
Vertrag mit meinem Killer (Germany)
Contraté a un asesino (Argentina) [es]
Contraté un asesino a sueldo (Spain) [es]
Ho affittato un killer (Italy) [it]
J'ai engagé un tueur (Canada: French title) [fr]
Proselava enan epagelmatia dolofono (Greece) [el]
Wynajalem platnego morderce (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

Finland | UK | Germany | Sweden | France

Language:

English | Finnish

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-10 | Germany:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Channel Four Films

Trivia:

Last cinema film of Peter Graves.

Quotes:

The Killer: [the killer finds Henri, but starts to cough blood] Cancer. I'll be gone in a few weeks time.
Henri Boulanger: I'm sorry.
The Killer: Why? It'll take me out of here.
Henri Boulanger: Don't you like it here?
The Killer: No. I'm a loser.
Henri Boulanger: But this time you win.
The Killer: That's what you think. Life is a disappointment.
[the killer shoots himself]

Movie Connections:

Remake of On demande un assassin (1949)

Soundtrack:

I'm Sticking With You Baby

Highly Recommended

I watched a documentary about Aki Kaurimaki (one of my favourite directors) in which he stated that he was sick and tired of pages and pages of dialogue he had written ending up on the cutting room floor. So he keeps the dialogue to a minimum. This film is a perfect example of this philosophy. This is Kaurismaki's trademark. Anyone who has seen "Leningrad Cowboys Go America" or "Arial" will recognise his sparing use of dialogue rather than having characters speak just for the sake of speaking. It is no wonder that his most recent film "Juha" was a silent film.

This is a very dark and very realistic film about loneliness and depression. All the main characters in the film are lonely people, with very little to live for. Nonetheless, this is in essence, a black comedy.

Anyone who liked Tom Di Cillo's "Johnny Suede" will find that this is a very film to "I hired a Contract Killer". Personally, I loved this film and would highly recommend it to anyone with an appreciation for fine art house cinema.