***SPOILERS*** Not one of the series best but still worth watching involving professional photographer Arthur Mannix, Jack Cassidy,and undertaker Harim Price, Harry Townes, who are pitted against each other in a game of death to see who's #1. Not #1 in their official professions in the world of photography and disposing of the dearly departed but #1 in what they really do for a living in being professional hit-men. As we soon see both men Mannix & Price work for the same firm and with cost cutting measures coming in the next-1965-fiscial year it's decided by the top brass that they don't need the two of them. One will be enough and that one has to prove himself by being able to both outmaneuver and "hit" his opponent!
There's also the very pressing issue for hit-man photographer Mannix in him wanting to marry pretty Sylvia Sylveter, Jocelyn Lane, who's stuffy father Mr. Sylverster, Philip Bourneuf, is anything but impressed by his future son-in-law's financial situation. In him not having enough money,in Mr. Sylvester's opinion, in the bank-$50,000.00-to be able to support a wife & family. This makes Mannix the more determined of the two hit-men, in getting paid $10,000.00 per hit, to do his job successfully. What both Mannix and Price don't know it that their next hit is to be on each other that's been set up by their employer Murder Inc. through their mutual contacts Arthur & Earnest who know exactly what the score is. The one who succeeds is the one who not only stays alive but lives to kill another day and gets paid, by Murder inc., twice the price for doing it!
***SPOILERS*** The ending was spoiled in the shows epilogue by "The Master" Alfred Hitchcock himself in him being forced by the then almost non-existence Hayes Commission on ethics in the movies to spoil all the hard work the surviving hit-man did to stay alive. Which in fact was about the best part of this very boring and talkative film.
There's also the very pressing issue for hit-man photographer Mannix in him wanting to marry pretty Sylvia Sylveter, Jocelyn Lane, who's stuffy father Mr. Sylverster, Philip Bourneuf, is anything but impressed by his future son-in-law's financial situation. In him not having enough money,in Mr. Sylvester's opinion, in the bank-$50,000.00-to be able to support a wife & family. This makes Mannix the more determined of the two hit-men, in getting paid $10,000.00 per hit, to do his job successfully. What both Mannix and Price don't know it that their next hit is to be on each other that's been set up by their employer Murder Inc. through their mutual contacts Arthur & Earnest who know exactly what the score is. The one who succeeds is the one who not only stays alive but lives to kill another day and gets paid, by Murder inc., twice the price for doing it!
***SPOILERS*** The ending was spoiled in the shows epilogue by "The Master" Alfred Hitchcock himself in him being forced by the then almost non-existence Hayes Commission on ethics in the movies to spoil all the hard work the surviving hit-man did to stay alive. Which in fact was about the best part of this very boring and talkative film.