I Hired a Contract Killer
1990
**
Director: Aki Kaurismäki
Cast: Jean-Pierre Léaud, Margi Clarke, Kenneth Colley, Serge Reggiani, Kenneth Cranham, T.R. Bowen, Imogen Clare, Jools Holland, Johnny Shannon, Tracey Wilkinson
Henri Boulanger is a jobless, lonely, and squeamish Frenchman who lives in London. Just as he hires a hitman to put himself out of his misery, a new love changes his outlook on life. For his only work shot in the UK, Aki Kaurismäki expands an original story by Peter von Bagh. The intriguing premise sadly doesn't go anywhere, and the resulting film feels clunky and long even at 79 minutes. It's all about the unpredictability of life, and Kaurismäki makes London feel like the smallest village in the world. Jean-Pierre Léaud's performance in English is awkward and wooden, and the dreadful dialogue certainly doesn't help.
