The Marseille Contract

Steve Ventura, the French DEA station head, cannot pin Brizzard down through conventional police work because of Brizzard's political connections. Brizzard's henchmen are implicated in the murder of one of Ventura's undercover agents in Marseille, complicating any prosecution. Frustrated, Ventura resolves to pursue a non-traditional path to take Brizzard down.

Ventura approaches Inspector Briac of the Paris Police Prefecture, seeking a discreet way to remove Brizzard from the equation. Briac reluctantly refers him to a hired killer, and during a private meeting Ventura encounters John Deray, an old friend, posing as the hitman. Ventura hesitantly agrees to the arrangement, aware of the risk involved.

Deray accepts the contract and travels to Marseille under a false identity to survey Brizzard's villa. He studies the property from a distance, noting possible entry points and security gaps, and he spots Brizzard's daughter Lucienne as someone who could be leveraged. His reconnaissance sets the stage for the personal angle that unfolds with Lucienne.

The next morning, Deray impresses Lucienne during a car race, with her Porsche 911S against his Alfa Romeo Montreal, winning her attention. Their attraction earns him a dinner invitation to Brizzard's villa where he will meet the crime lord. The invitation drags him deeper into Brizzard's circle while keeping his cover intact.

Ventura, meanwhile, has a change of heart and attempts to arrest Deray on false charges, but Brizzard tests him first by using Deray to kill an informant. Deray carries out the hit without hesitation, proving his ruthlessness and loyalty to Brizzard. Pleased with the performance, Brizzard hires Deray as a full-time employee and uses him as a courier during a volatile change of hands.

At the scheduled change of hands, Deray's meeting turns out to be a trap: undercover police confront him and arrest him for possession of an illegal substance that Brizzard planted on him. The sting is a brutal wake-up call, forcing Deray to improvise under fire while Brizzard's network frays around him. The event reveals the double game playing against Deray.

After escaping both Brizzard's killers and the police, Deray reunites with Ventura to brief him on Brizzard's drug shipments. He explains that Marseille-bound drugs originate from Turkey and that Brizzard is their primary buyer, having overheard Brizzard's telephone calls.

Ventura and Deray uncover that Inspector Briac was directly involved with Brizzard, planning to betray Brizzard to seize the drugs for himself and frame Deray. The realization exposes a dangerous conspiracy at the heart of the operation and puts them in immediate danger. They prepare for a potentially lethal confrontation.

A firefight erupts among Brizzard's men, Briac, and Ventura. Brizzard drives away, while Deray is fatally wounded and dies at Ventura's feet. The confrontation leaves Ventura determined to deliver justice in the next act.

Outraged by Deray's death and Brizzard's crimes, Ventura heads to Brizzard's political fundraiser and discreetly shoots him, ending the crime lord's reign in a single, careful act. He leaves the scene without drawing attention and disappears into the crowd. The violent arc of the operation closes with Brizzard dead and Ventura seeking whatever comes next.