The Marseille Contract
Directed by:
Robert ParrishScreenplay:
Judd BernardCinematography:
Douglas SlocombeComposer:
Roy BuddCast:
Michael Caine, Anthony Quinn, James Mason, Maurice Ronet, Catherine Rouvel, Alexandra Stewart, Marcel Bozzuffi, André Oumansky, Martine Kelly (more)Plots(1)
A tough U.S. embassy official in Paris is assigned to uncover and break a multi-million dollar narcotics ring, headed by a prominent politician. After several of his agents are killed, the embassay official crosses over the line, hiring a professional killer to do the job. (official distributor synopsis)
Reviews (2)
It’s like the English version of The French Connection. Both Quinn and Caine are excellent, the story is interesting and suspenseful, and the scenes like the car chase are flawless. Only the ending could have been more gripping. Very decent four stars.
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The Marseille Contract is a kind of British reaction to The French Connection, only that Friedkin's almost documentary realism has been replaced by the playfulness and cheapness of sixth-rate crime films. Nothing against it, the idea is great, but the execution could have had more pull. And it's a pity how the film doesn't manage to tell both lines of the two main characters at the same time, so for the first half hour it is purely about Anthony Quinn's character, and once Michael Caine comes on the scene, Quinn practically disappears from the plot and later vice versa. That said, I do appreciate the amazing work with the locations of French cities and Douglas Slocombe's camerawork; today it would be all green screen.
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