I Hired a Contract Killer (1990)
I love how simple this movie is. Goes from A to B without any unnecessary steps with minimalist storytelling. Man gets fired. Man tries to kill himself. Fails. Hires a contract killer to kill him. Meets girl. Now wants to live. Stopping the killer is problematic.
Kaurismäki’s deadpan humor makes the simplicity of the story flow along well, but even though the running time is only 80 minutes, it does feel a bit stretched. Jean-Pierre Léaud carries his role well, but I still feel the whole movie lacked some of the tiny charisma and charm from Kaurismäki’s other movies, even though all his trademark elements are there.
Rating: 3.5