Hard Contract

Hard Contract

Year: 1969

Runtime: 106 mins

Language: English

Director: S. Lee Pogostin

RomanceCrime

Bound by a ruthless code that values control over feeling—97 % discipline, 3 % emotion—a cold‑hearted American hitman travels to Europe for what he believes will be his final job. When he meets a striking young woman, unexpected attraction awakens doubt in his purpose, forcing him to question the contract and his own nature.

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Timeline & Setting – Hard Contract (1969)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Hard Contract (1969). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Tangier, Spain, Belgium

The action moves from Tangier to Europe, with Tangier as the initial meeting point that draws Cunningham into a web of desire and danger. The three-hit contract unfolds across Spain and Belgium, giving the story globe-trotting locales within a CIA crime framework.

🌍 International settings 🔎 Cross-border crime backdrop

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:41

Main Characters – Hard Contract (1969)

Meet the key characters of Hard Contract (1969), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

John Cunningham

A CIA assassin with nerves of steel and no conscience, who carries out politically unglamorous killings on a mission-based clock. As the plan unfolds, remorse slowly gnaws at his resolve to retire after a final 'hard contract'.

🔪 Cold-blooded 🧭 Moral conflict

James Ramsey

Cunningham’s mobilizer, a CIA man who uses a respectable façade as a physics professor to cloak his ruthless operations. He pushes for the three-hit plan and negotiates consequences if Cunningham refuses, while his own resolve is tested by the killer’s doubts.

🎭 Manipulative 🧠 Authority

Sheila Metcalfe

An American tourist and jet-setter who enters Cunningham’s life in Tangier, bringing glamour and a destabilizing force that challenges his professional detachment.

🌟 Charismatic 💞 Romantic tension

Adrianne

A naive but good-hearted socialite who befriends Cunningham’s circle in Tangier, complicating Ramsey’s plans with her presence and influence over the men involved.

🎀 Socialite 💡 Influence

Michael Carlson

A former top CIA hit-man who was once more vicious and effective than Cunningham; now he has become so passive that he wouldn’t even defend himself when confronted.

🗡️ Veteran ⚖️ Rivalry

Ellen

A prostitute encountered early on, whose presence exposes Cunningham to a more intimate, human perspective and foreshadows the moral cost of his profession.

💃 Prostitute 💔 Vulnerability

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:41

Major Themes – Hard Contract (1969)

Explore the central themes of Hard Contract (1969), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

⚖️ Morality

The film pits professional duty against personal conscience, showing Cunningham wrestling with whether murder can be justified as a means to retirement. It interrogates whether ends ever justify ruthless methods in pursuit of a perceived greater good. The ending preserves ambiguity about the true morality of his choices.

💔 Remorse

Remorse grows as Cunningham confronts the human cost of his assignments. His hesitation to complete the third hit marks a shift from cool efficiency to inner conflict. The narrative traces how guilt reshapes a killer’s identity and resolve.

🗺️ Choice

A pivotal choice drives the plot: whether Cunningham will obey Ramsey’s demand or break free from the cycle of murder. The story foregrounds the tension between fate and agency within a life built on deception. The finale suggests that personal choice can redefine one’s path even in a world of manipulation.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:41

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Hard Contract Summary

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Hard Contract Summary

Hard Contract Timeline

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Hard Contract Timeline

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Hard Contract (1969) Plot Summary & Movie Recap

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