Hard Contract

On election day, Cunningham coldly ends a life without hesitation. He then votes in the local election and spends the rest of the afternoon with Ellen, a prostitute. The sequence establishes his nerve and absence of conscience.

After the murder, Cunningham continues with routine matters, spending the afternoon with Ellen. The moment reinforces his ability to detach emotion from violent acts. It shows the thin line between his professional and private life.

The next day, Cunningham visits James Ramsey, his mobilizer whose cover is a college physics professor. Ramsey presents one final, lucrative 'hard contract' that could let Cunningham retire. The offer outlines three hits, with two in Spain and Belgium and a third to be named after the first two are dispatched.

Ramsey explains the terms of the three-target contract and warns of consequences if Cunningham refuses. He makes clear that the plan will place Cunningham at the edge of retirement, but secrecy and risk remain high.

On his way to Spain to execute the first hit, Cunningham meets two women in Tangier who will change the course of his life. The encounter hints at emotional complications that could interfere with the mission.

In Tangier, Sheila Metcalfe and her friend Adrianne introduce emotional stakes that complicate Cunningham's detachment. Their presence foreshadows a life outside the hit man's code.

Cunningham carries out the first hit in Spain, following the contract's plan. The act reaffirms his professional efficiency while deepening his internal conflict.

He executes the second target in Belgium, meeting the contract's second requirement. The killings demonstrate his lethal skill, even as doubt begins to erode his resolve.

Remorse starts to gnaw at him, and he cannot bring himself to kill Michael Carson, the former top CIA hit-man. Carson's passive state makes the potential strike feel almost impossible and deeply troubling to Cunningham.

Ramsey flies to Spain to persuade Cunningham to complete the job, threatening that if he refuses, both he and Sheila will be killed. The pressure reignites Cunningham's fear and sense of obligation to the contract.

Cunningham drives Ramsey, Sheila, Carson, and others back down a mountain and nearly causes a fatal car crash to free himself from the conspiracy. The stunt illustrates his growing resolve to resist murder.

At the last moment, Cunningham relents and tells Ramsey that murder is obsolete. The declaration signals a possible break from the killer's code, though the truth remains unclear to others.

Ramsey is romanced by Adrianne, which bemuses him and hints at a weakening of his resolve. The personal dynamics blur loyalties and threaten to undermine the 'hard contract'.

Cunningham and Sheila run off together and begin making love, with Cunningham suggesting that the worst deeds can be done for the best motives. The final image narrows to a circle around their heads, echoing a rifle scope.