The Marseille Contract (1974)

Why so much hype?

terrible... so disappointed.

i must have seen a different film!!

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

We saw Paris and Marseille in the 1970', not so crowded yet, and the Europeans were most white, not so polluted and littered with garbage all over the places. The yellow Porsche was still a race car, but I prefer more that car Michael Caine drove. Now in 2018, Anthony Quinn, James Mason and most of the supporting bad guys and good guys were all dead for a long time, Caine is now an very old guy too. But look at Caine in the 70's, what a handsome dude! He didn't wear the big horn rim glasses yet. The thing that I really don't quite get is why in the 70's, the American government already got the DEA operated in Europe. Yes, I do know Marseille was the major drug export city at that time, but how come the role Mason played, a pure English breed, would have been the powerful drug lord in France? Why Quinn hired the hitman then had the second thought and wanted to cancel the contract? A guy hunted by Mason's killers, retaliation should be the natural reaction. If he could hire an assassin to do the job, why he wanted to call it off later? Conscience? Anyway, there were several eye candies around Mason's surroundings, they were really pretty, even by 2018's standard.

I'll start by saying this is not a good film. This was probably good enough for audiences in the 1970s but it really creaks along today. The acting is often wooden. The cinematography makes poor use of the south of France location. James Mason makes no attempt to be play a French gangster and reverts to his usual film persona - he doesn't even bother with an accent. Antony Quinn is great though, particularly with the material he has to work with. His rage in the scene at the after work poker game is electric. The plot has holes but at least it sort of makes sense in the end. Overall it seems a waste of the talent in this film and the stunning locations. Having said all that I secretly enjoyed it.

The plot sounds intriguing and we know Caine can play a hit man, but he lacks any of the bite we saw as Harry Palmer. It was his mega busy period, and this was appears to have been just another gig.James Mason is underused, having little to do,and Anthony Quinn, despite sharing several scenes with Caine, appears to be in a different film. He looks ill at ease throughout, and a nonsensical plot twist undermines his honest cop routine.Considering the salary bill for just these three the studio could surely have hired a director who could breath some sort of life into the limp script, hang on, why was it green lighted with that script at all? A waste.

Unlike some other reviewers, I found this little known piece to be very entertaining. Yes, Tony Quinn over-emotes on occasion (e.g., poker scene) and his affair with Rita (Alexandra Stewart) goes undeveloped, but the story line itself is well paced, interesting and suspenseful. If you're looking for an esoteric, psychologically penetrating example of the crime drama genre, this film is probably not for you. It is, however, a 90 minute "straight, no chaser" crime caper with the obligatory chase scenes, double-crosses, romantic entanglements, etc. Is it Caine and Mason at their best? No, but they don't need to be to fulfill their contribution, individually and collectively, to the flow of the story line. Also, the not-so-well known French actors (to American audiences) cast in the film were up to the task at hand.In conclusion, great camera shots of Paris, southern France and Marseille. In no small manner, they augmented the film's overall thrust and added an extra dimension of cinematic flavor.