BY DARREN ALLISON
Austrian
label Cineploit continues to steadily add to their impressive list of cult European
titles. 2020
has been another successful period for the independent label and they round off
this somewhat testing year with a couple of highly enjoyable and much
anticipated movies. I must begin with Tecnica di un Omicidio aka
The Hired Killer (1966), an incredibly unappreciated film that, in many ways,
has escaped general recognition for far too long. From a personal perspective,
The Hired Killer has been high on my ‘most wanted’ list for several decades. It
was one of those films that first captured my attention by way of a simple
poster that caught my eye on an otherwise unspectacular stall at a London film
fair back in the 1980s. It was one of those rare instances where you simply made
an unconscious link; you just knew this was a film that you were going to
connect with. Several years on, I also came across a set of lobby cards and for
me, it provided another 8 great images that continued to whet my appetite and
raise my expectations. This was all before the days of the internet of course,
an eventual pathway that would widen the access of film images to a much easier
degree. A very rough VHS would eventually come my way and confirmed my initial
anticipation- it was a film I loved.
The superb and much missed Robert Webber
plays Clint Harris, an experienced hired assassin who is employed by the
Organisation. Tired with the lifestyle, Harris wants to leave the business. The
Organisation requires his services for one last job - to eliminate a traitor.
Harris is usually a one man outfit. However, on this job he has the added
burden of working with a partner and his potential replacement,Tony Lo Bello, is
an early role for eventual cult favourite Franco Nero. Their target is proving
hard to locate due to plastic surgery as well as several plot twists that
undermines Harris’s trust.
Italian director Francesco Prosperi’s Italian
/ French co-production works exceptionally well on many levels. It is far from the typical
looking Euro crime thriller and ‘balls to the wall’ action- orientated style
that would follow into the 1970s. Regardless of several locations such as
Lisbon, Paris and Italy’s Cinecittà Studios in Rome, the film makes good use of
the bleak urban landscapes of New York and as a result, retains the look of a
more mainstream American production. The film’s pacing also works to its
advantage, it’s a cool, slow burner which never wanes but instead gradually
builds in a positive way. The Hired Killer can easily be compared with several
other films such as Jean-Pierre Melville’s French neo-noir crime film Le
Samouraï (1967) or perhaps more closely with Michael Winner’s Charles Bronson
action thriller, The Mechanic (1972). However, where The Hired Killer really
exceeds is in its depiction of the loneliness associated with the assassin, the
discipline of the lifestyle and the removal of any normal form of socialising.
The Hired Killer is a bleak observation, a harsh, raw reality check without the
aid of Hollywood gloss. Robert Webber is superb. If ever there was a film that
reflected his ability to dominate the screen as a leading man, this is it. So
often underused in supporting character roles or employed as a Peckinpah heavy
sidekick, Webber truly shines as Clint Harris - it’s just a shame that it took
a move to Europe to fully confirm this.
Cineploit has delivered a solid transfer of
this forgotten gem and marks its worldwide 2K Blu-ray premiere. The colour
pallet is muted but natural and fits in perfectly with the film’s overall urban
atmosphere. The film is presented in its original 2.35:1 (Techniscope) frame
and the DTS-HD 2.0
audio is clean throughout. The film is also
presented with optional German and Italian audio with a choice of German or
English subtitles. As always, Cineploit has produced another beautiful package.
Extras include an exclusive featurette hosted by Eurocrime genre expert Mike
Malloy, who examines the contrasting American and European films through the
1960s and 70s. At 13 minutes, it is both fascinating and absorbing and
something you could watch for a dedicated hour or so without ever missing a
beat. The disc also contains an impressive picture gallery lasting some 10
minutes.
Perhaps best of all, Cineploit have also
included (in a separate chapter) Robby Poitevin’s complete film score.
Presented in track-by-track or play all options, it’s basically the full CD
thrown in for good measure. Poitevin’s score is a great piece of crime jazz in
itself, and proves to be an irresistible addition.
All of this is contained within a stylish 28
page hardcover mediabook with UV Spot. The book contains an essay by Udo
Rotenberg in German and English and is filled with Italian, French, American
and German promotional material and photos. Cineploit’s generous standards are
maintained with the inclusion of a double-sided poster with the two Italian
locandina poster designs. There is also a choice of four different cover
variations including two Italian, one German and one American poster designs -
all in a numbered and limited edition of 250, 200, 300 and 250 respectively. A
truly inspired choice of film, perfectly executed.