The Contract (2016 film)

Last updated

The Contract
Directed byNic Auerbach
Screenplay byBo Bickle
Story by David Marconi
Produced by
  • Dean Fisher
  • Robert Fucilla
Starring
  • Robert Fucilla
  • Sarah Armstrong
  • Danny Webb [1]
  • Patrick Ryecart
  • Antonio Aakeel
  • Isabelle Allen
  • Dean Bardini
  • Jack Brady
  • John Davis
  • Jonathan Rhodes
  • Surinder Duhra
  • Loren O'Dair
  • Izabella Fucilla
CinematographyFranz Pagot
Edited byKant Pan
Music by Erran Baron Cohen
Production
companies
  • Scanner Rhodes Productions
  • Robert Fucilla Company
Distributed byRialto Distribution
Release date
  • 18 January 2016 (2016-01-18)(London)
Running time
99 minutes [2]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Contract (previously known as Squat) is a 2016 British crime thriller feature film directed by Nic Auerbach. The Contract is a nascent love story of two people from polar opposite worlds, thrown together by circumstance. The film stars Robert Fucilla, Sarah Armstrong, Danny Webb, Patrick Ryecart, Antonio Aakeel, and Jack Brady. The film was released on DVD and online 18 January 2016. [3]

Contents

Plot

The Contract follows Nick Dayton (Robert Fucilla) a self-centered, narcissistic, Hedge Fund Trader, who prefers the extremely lavish life-style his job affords. Returning from a business trip, Nick arrives home to his multimillion-dollar mansion, to find it has peculiarly been taken over by squatters. It is here, Nick finds himself fortuitously linked with Erika (Sarah Armstrong). A damaged young woman. and seemingly the polar opposite of Nick, Erika is a woman suffering from amnesia and mysteriously has Nick's address tattooed on her arm. Attempting to unravel the mystery, both Nick and Erika find themselves enmeshed in the violent underworld of organised crime, led by the unhinged and barbarous Roy (Danny Webb). Now acutely aware the seriousness of the situation, Nick soon comes to the rare realisation that not all of his problems can be disentangled with money. If Nick has any chance of solving this bewildering mystery, and save both his and Erika's lives, he is going to have to use his ingenuity and smarts to outwit both the syndicate and the violent and sadistic Roy. [4] [5]

Cast

Production

The Contract was developed by Scanner Rhodes Productions and Robert Fucilla Company initially under the working title Squat. [6] In post production, the film's title changed to The Contract. The entire film was shot in London, England late 2014 - early 2015.

Release

Rialto distribution secured the Australian distribution rights and the film was released globally on DVD and online / Via VOD services 18 January 2016. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squatting</span> Unauthorized occupation of property

Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there were one billion slum residents and squatters globally. Squatting occurs worldwide and tends to occur when people find empty buildings or land to occupy for housing. It has a long history, broken down by country below.

<i>Caddyshack</i> 1980 American sports comedy film by Harold Ramis

Caddyshack is a 1980 American sports comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, written by Brian Doyle-Murray, Ramis and Douglas Kenney, and starring Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Michael O'Keefe and Bill Murray with supporting roles by Sarah Holcomb, Cindy Morgan, and Doyle-Murray. It tells the story of a caddie, vying for a caddie scholarship, who becomes involved in a feud on the links between one of the country club's founders and a nouveau riche guest. A subplot involves a greenskeeper who uses extreme methods against an elusive gopher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hafenstraße</span> Legalized squats in Hamburg, Germany

Hafenstraße is a street in St. Pauli, a quarter of Hamburg, Germany, known for its legalized squats. The squats were occupied in 1981 and became a figurehead for autonomist and anti-imperialist politics. After a prolonged battle with the city council which involved demonstrations of over 10,000 people, the buildings were legalized in the 1990s. Today they are owned by a self-organised cooperative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erika Christensen</span> American actress

Erika Jane Christensen is an American actress. Her filmography includes roles in Traffic (2000), Swimfan (2002), The Banger Sisters (2002), The Perfect Score (2004), Flightplan (2005), How to Rob a Bank (2007), The Tortured (2010), and The Case for Christ (2017). For her performance in Traffic, she won the MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Female Performance and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture along with her co-stars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Bolger</span> Irish actress

Sarah Bolger is an Irish actress. She starred in the films In America (2003), Stormbreaker (2006), The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008), The Moth Diaries (2011), The Lazarus Effect (2015), Emelie (2015), and A Good Woman Is Hard to Find (2019). On television, she portrayed Princess Mary Tudor in The Tudors (2008–2010), for which she won an IFTA award, and Princess Aurora in Once Upon a Time (2012–2015). Bolger also appeared on the series Into the Badlands (2015–2017) and starred on Mayans M.C. (2018–2023).

<i>Hot Fuzz</i> 2007 action comedy film by Edgar Wright

Hot Fuzz is a 2007 buddy cop action comedy film directed by Edgar Wright and written by Wright and Simon Pegg. Starring Pegg, Nick Frost, Timothy Dalton, and Jim Broadbent, the film centres on two police officers investigating a series of mysterious and gruesome deaths in a West Country village. It is the second and most successful film in the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, succeeding Shaun of the Dead (2004) and followed by The World's End (2013).

Danny Webb is an English television and film actor. His roles include the prisoner Morse in the movie Alien 3, Thomas Cromwell in Henry VIII and John Maynard Jefferson in the two part Doctor Who story "The Impossible Planet" and "The Satan Pit" in 2006.

<i>Shooter</i> (2007 film) 2007 American action thriller film by Antoine Fuqua

Shooter is a 2007 American action thriller film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by Jonathan Lemkin, based on the 1993 novel Point of Impact by Stephen Hunter. The film follows Force Recon Marine Scout Sniper veteran Bob Lee Swagger, who is framed for murder by a mercenary unit operating for a private military firm. The film also stars Michael Peña, Danny Glover, Kate Mara, Levon Helm, and Ned Beatty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squatting in England and Wales</span> Occupation of unused land or derelict buildings in England and Wales

In England and Wales, squatting—taking possession of land or an empty house the squatter does not own—occurs for a variety of reasons which include needing a home, protest, poverty, and recreation. Many squats are residential; some are also opened as social centres. Land may be occupied by New Age travellers or treesitters.

Historically, squatting occurred in the United States during the California Gold Rush and when colonial European settlers established land rights. There was squatting during the Great Depression in Hoovervilles and also during World War II. Shanty towns returned to the US after the Great Recession (2007–2009) and in the 2010s, there were increasing numbers of people occupying foreclosed homes using fraudulent documents. In some cases, a squatter may be able to obtain ownership of property through adverse possession.

<i>Quirke</i> (TV series) British-Irish crime drama television series

Quirke is a crime drama television series that was first broadcast on BBC One and RTÉ One in 2014. The three-part series is based on the Quirke novels by John Banville, writing under the pseudonym Benjamin Black, and was adapted by Andrew Davies and Conor McPherson.

<i>Torment</i> (2013 film) 2013 Canadian film

Torment is a 2013 Canadian horror film directed by Jordan Barker. The film had its world premiere on October 11, 2013, at the Screamfest Horror Film Festival. It stars Katharine Isabelle as a woman who must try to save her step-son from an insane family.

<i>Urge</i> (film) 2016 American film

Urge is a 2016 American thriller film directed by Aaron Kaufman, written by Jerry Stahl, and starring Justin Chatwin, Ashley Greene, Alexis Knapp, Bar Paly, Chris Geere, Nick Thune, Kea Ho, Danny Masterson, and Pierce Brosnan. The film was released on June 3, 2016, in a limited release and through video on demand by Lionsgate Premiere.

<i>Juarez 2045</i> 2017 film

Juarez 2045 is a 2017 American science fiction action adventure film directed by Chris Le and produced by Rocky Mudaliar. It stars Danny Trejo, Brad Schmidt and Alex Heartman in lead roles. Juarez 2045 was released on April 1, 2017 in theaters in Sandy, Utah, near Salt Lake City. The film was later released on video on demand on May 1, 2018 under the title Cartel 2045.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Aakeel</span> English actor

Antonio Aakeel is an English actor, known for his leading role in the 2018 comedy film Eaten by Lions, for which he was named a Screen International Star of Tomorrow by Screen Daily. He also appeared in Tomb Raider and the BAFTA award-winning series Three Girls.

<i>After Midnight</i> (2014 film) 2014 film by Fred Olen Ray

After Midnight is a 2014 American erotic mystery/horror thriller film directed by Fred Olen Ray and starring Richard Grieco and Tawny Kitaen in her final film role.

<i>The Old Man & the Gun</i> 2018 film by David Lowery

The Old Man & the Gun is a 2018 American biographical crime film written and directed by David Lowery, about Forrest Tucker, a career criminal and prison escape artist. The script is loosely based on David Grann's 2003 article in The New Yorker titled "The Old Man and the Gun", which was later collected in Grann's 2010 book The Devil and Sherlock Holmes. The film stars Robert Redford, Casey Affleck, Danny Glover, Tika Sumpter, Tom Waits and Sissy Spacek. Redford, then 82 years old, announced his intent to retire from acting after completion of the film.

<i>99-1</i> British TV series or programme

99-1 is a British television crime thriller series, first broadcast on 5 January 1994, that ran for a total of two series on ITV. The series starred Leslie Grantham as Mick Raynor, a maverick undercover policeman tasked with taking down some of the country's most dangerous criminals. The first series co-starred Robert Stephens as Raynor's commander, Oakwood. For the second series, Stephens was replaced by Frances Tomelty as Commander Stone. Other significant roles in the series fell to Adie Allen, Niall Buggy and Danny Webb, with Constantine Gregory also joining the cast in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squatting in the Netherlands</span> Occupation of unused land or derelict buildings in the Netherlands

Squatting in the Netherlands is the occupation of unused or derelict buildings or land without the permission of the owner. The modern squatters movement began in the 1960s in the Netherlands. By the 1980s, it had become a powerful anarchist social movement which regularly came into conflict with the state, particularly in Amsterdam with the Vondelstraat and coronation riots.

David A. Armstrong is an American cinematographer, film producer and director, who was involved in a number of short films and low budget horror films. Although best known for his work on the first six installments of the Saw franchise, Armstrong has also directed two films, the crime thrillers Pawn and The Assassin's Code.

References

  1. "The Contract (2015) - Movie". Moviefone. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  2. "THE CONTRACT". Bbfc.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  3. "EXCLUSIVE: Trailer & Film Clips From Nic Auerbach's Crime Thriller THE CONTRACT". Britflicks. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  4. "The Contract (2016)". NL: FilmVandaag.nl. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  5. "Trailer Revealed For British Thriller THE CONTRACT Ahead of DVD and VOD Release on 18th January 2016". Horror Cult Films. 4 January 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  6. "About Us". Scanner-Rhodes. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  7. "Rialto Distribution :: Our Films". Au.rialtodistribution.com. Retrieved 24 June 2018.