I Hired a Contract Killer

The events take place in contemporary London during a period of privatization and unemployment. The government’s plan to privatize the waterworks and dismiss foreigners first anchors the social climate and the characters’ precarious lives. The narrative uses this setting to explore how economic pressures drive drastic choices and chance encounters.

The story unfolds across urban London, focusing on drab interiors and crowded streets. Key locations include the Honolulu Bar where the contract is arranged, a run-down hotel where Henri and the killer cross paths, and a jeweller's shop central to the climax. The city itself feels claustrophobic, emphasizing anonymity and the sense that ordinary lives are pulled into deadly schemes.

🕯️ Isolation

Henri's drab, solitary existence after losing his job sets the mood of the film. His chance encounter with Margaret offers a fragile glimmer of human connection. The killer's lonely, detached worldview adds to the sense that the city itself is a maze for solitary minds.

❤️ Love

Margaret's warmth disrupts Henri's plan to give up on life and rekindles his will to live. The romance develops amid danger, deadpan humor, and the pair's shared vulnerability. Love here stands as a counterpoint to the violence surrounding them.

☠️ Mortality

The killer is revealed to have a terminal cancer diagnosis, framing his violence as a race against death. The imminent end casts every decision in a new light, making even ordinary days feel charged with danger. Henri's own brushes with danger underscore life’s fragility.

⚖️ Moral Ambiguity

The film centers on a contract killing and the banality of the criminals behind it, highlighting how ordinary people can be drawn into violent acts. The killer's justifications and Henri's reluctant involvement blur the lines between victim and perpetrator. The narrative questions whether fate or free will determines who dies.