The Marseille Contract

"They live the sweet life but they play a game of sudden death!"

1974 1h 31m EN

😐

6.0

MID

⭐

5.9

IMDB

★6.0TMDB · 44★5.9IMDB · 1,637

CrimeThrillerAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An important drug lord settled in Marseille is suspected of having ordered the killing of an American agent, but it is impossible to impute him due to his political influences, so the dead agent's boss decides to hire the services of a hitman to kill him.

“They live the sweet life but they play a game of sudden death!”

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Cast

Michael Caine
John Deray / John Davos
Anthony Quinn
Steve Ventura
James Mason
Jacques Brizard
Maurice Ronet
Inspector Briac
Alexandra Stewart
Rita
Maureen Kerwin
Lucienne
Catherine Rouvel
Brizard's Mistress
Marcel Bozzuffi
Calmet

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Parrish
Writers: Judd Bernard
Languages: French, English
Countries: France, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

52 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Parrish, shot by Douglas Slocombe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Roy Budd. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Willy Kemplen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Parrish directs. Douglas Slocombe behind the camera. Roy Budd scores. Willy Kemplen cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France, United Kingdom. Dialogue in French, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
252 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.
4International production across 2 countries: France, United Kingdom.
5Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
6Directed by Robert Parrish, shot by Douglas Slocombe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Roy Budd. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Willy Kemplen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Michael Caine and Anthony Quinn and James Mason carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "They live the sweet life but they play a game of sudden death!".
11IMDB entry: tt0071412 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Only 44 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
13Classified under 8 themes, including "drug dealer", "assassin", "france", "paris, france".

The technical file

Cinematography: Douglas Slocombe
Original score: Roy Budd
Editing: Willy Kemplen
Production design: Willy Holt
Runtime: 91 min · 1h 31m
Status: Released
Budget: $2,000,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Marseille Contract (1974)
IMDB rating: 5.9/10 · 1,637 votes
MPAA: PG

Also by

Robert Parrish

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-05-27
★ 6/10
Unfortunately, none of Messrs. Caine, Quinn and Mason are on very good form here. Nor do they have much of a script to work with in this rather clunky crime drama. It is Quinn ("Ventura") an official at the US Justice Department, who has been trying for years to thwart the activities of drugs baron "Brizard" (Mason) but the man proves somewhat teflon! As a last resort, he hires an unknown assassin to finally stop his nemesis. It turns out though, that the man he has inadvertently hired in none other than his old pal "Deray" (Caine). Set amongst some gorgeous Parisian and Alpine scenery, we now play out this cat and mouse game. Aside from a rather lacklustre storyline, there is also pretty little actual action to entertain us here either. Caine is absent for petty much the entire first third of the film; Mason makes for quite a good baddie - but just features all to sparingly in what rapidly becomes a rather procedural drama enlivened only by a few of the scenes from Quinn. It is an OK watch - but not a film you are likely to recall.

Production companies