This rarely screened 1958 gem about the mind of a contract killer is one of Martin Scorsese’s favorite thrillers, and it’s easy to see why. An existential hipster (Vince Edwards) coolly regards his work as a business to be carried out rather like Zen in the Art of Archery, until he’s thrown by a big-time assignment to rub out a woman who’s about to testify in court. Neither the screenwriter (Ben Simcoe) nor the director (Irving Lerner) ever acquired a big reputation, but here they achieved something singular and nearly perfectwith a memorable score performed on guitar, a lean, purposeful style, and a witty feeling for character, dialogue, and narrative ellipsis. Lucien Ballard did the black-and-white cinematography. 81 min. (JR)