Pain is Only a Side Effect, Death is the Cure

Friends George Hansen (Robert Duvall) and Mike Locken (James Caan) are hit men who do contract jobs for a company called Com-Teg, associated with the CIA. But, when George gets a better offer from the competition, he turns on Mike. This tense, action-packed thriller explores savagery and betrayal in the murky world of killers-for-hire. Renegade director Sam Peckinpahs The Killer Elite (1975) offers a gorgeously San Francisco-based excursion into the dark world of contract assassins, the CIA, martial arts, and honor among hit men. Shot by Philip Lathrop, co-edited by Monte Hellman, and with music by composer Jerry Fielding.