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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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Movies about existential hitmen like Hard Contract

Professional killers who confront their humanity on a final, fateful job.Explore films similar to Hard Contract, where a professional killer's rigid existence is challenged by love or conscience. If you liked the story of a hitman's moral crisis, you'll find other tense, character-driven crime dramas about assassins seeking redemption.

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Narrative Summary

These stories typically follow a highly skilled but emotionally detached protagonist on a final assignment. A catalyst—often a romantic encounter or a morally complex target—triggers an existential crisis, forcing the character to choose between their duty and their emerging conscience, resulting in a psychologically charged and uncertain ending.

Why These Movies?

Movies in this thread share a dark, tense tone and a steady, character-focused pace. They are united by the central theme of a professional killer's internal moral conflict, combining high-stakes violence with a heavy, philosophical exploration of identity and redemption.

Cold war espionage thrillers with a mood like Hard Contract

Stories of lone operatives navigating morally gray worlds of suspicion and betrayal.Find movies that capture the lonely, tense, and cynical vibe of Hard Contract. If you liked its cold war setting and the feeling of a lone operative's isolation, you'll discover similar thrillers focused on psychological tension, moral conflict, and a pervasive sense of dread.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern often involves a solitary, disciplined agent carrying out a mission in a politically charged setting. The plot is less about action and more about the constant psychological pressure, the difficulty of trust, and the erosion of the protagonist's certainty in a world where motives are always suspect.

Why These Movies?

These films are grouped by their distinct mood: a cold, tense, and paranoid atmosphere rooted in a world of espionage and moral compromise. They share a steady pacing that builds psychological unease, a high level of intensity from the constant threat of exposure, and a heavy emotional weight dealing with themes of isolation and duty.

Unlock the Full Story of Hard Contract

Don't stop at just watching — explore Hard Contract in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Hard Contract is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Hard Contract Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Hard Contract, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Hard Contract Summary

Hard Contract Timeline

Track the full timeline of Hard Contract with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Hard Contract Timeline

Hard Contract Spoiler-Free Summary

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Hard Contract Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Hard Contract

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