The Marseille Contract

This 1974 British-French thriller follows an American agent working in France who sets out to dismantle a powerful drug baron's operation. To eliminate the kingpin, the agent hires a professional assassin, only to discover that the killer is an old friend, which complicates the mission. Directed by Robert Parrish, the film stars Michael Caine, Anthony Quinn and James Mason. Judd Bernard's screenplay draws inspiration from the notorious French Connection case of the early 1970s, in which heroin was processed in clandestine Marseille laboratories before being shipped to Europe and the United States. Filming took place in Paris, Marseille, Nice, Cannes and at Pinewood Studios in England. The picture was released in the United States under the title The Destructors.