# The Contract (2024 film)
**The Contract** is a 2024 Italian psychological thriller directed by Massimo Paolucci, starring [Kevin Spacey](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-spacey), Eric Roberts, and [Vincent Spano](https://www.edgepedia.org/vincent-spano), about a failed journalist who falls into the trap of the devil while investigating a murder.[1](https://filmitalia.org/en/film/1/196046/) The film was produced by TM Entertainment and Ipnotica Produzioni, runs 105 minutes, and was shot in Rome in English.[1](https://filmitalia.org/en/film/1/196046/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt31576204/) It premiered as a Special Screening at the [Cairo International Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/cairo-international-film-festival) in November 2024 and was released in Egypt on 14 November 2024, with a German release scheduled for the same date.[1](https://filmitalia.org/en/film/1/196046/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt31576204/) • [3](https://www.kinoundco.de/film/the-contract-5)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / year | Massimo Paolucci; Italy, 2024[1](https://filmitalia.org/en/film/1/196046/) |
| Runtime / language | 105 minutes; English-language Italian production[1](https://filmitalia.org/en/film/1/196046/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt31576204/) |
| Lead cast | Kevin Spacey as The Devil, Eric Roberts as Giuseppe, Vincent Spano as Nicolas Dell'Aria[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27834180/news/) • [3](https://www.kinoundco.de/film/the-contract-5) |
| Writers | Éva Henger (screenplay), from an idea by Massimiliano Caroletti[1](https://filmitalia.org/en/film/1/196046/) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27834180/news/) |
| Production | TM Entertainment, Ipnotica Produzioni, Anteprima Eventi Production e Management[1](https://filmitalia.org/en/film/1/196046/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt31576204/) |
| Premiere | Special Screening, Cairo International Film Festival, November 2024[1](https://filmitalia.org/en/film/1/196046/) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27834180/news/) |
| Release | Egyptian release on 14 November 2024; German release scheduled for the same date[2](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt31576204/) • [3](https://www.kinoundco.de/film/the-contract-5) |
| Filming location | Rome, Lazio, Italy[2](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt31576204/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
The premise is a Faustian bargain. Giuseppe, a failed journalist trying to achieve success by any means, is following up on an investigation into a murder when he falls into the trap of the devil, without realizing that he has been manipulated according to the devil's desires.[1](https://filmitalia.org/en/film/1/196046/) The poster's tagline states the pitch directly: "When hell surrounds you, the devil is your last hope."[6](https://letterboxd.com/film/the-contract-2024-1/)
### Cast and characters
**Kevin Spacey** plays a character named "The Devil"; promotional materials likened the part to [Al Pacino](https://www.edgepedia.org/al-pacino)'s role in *The Devil's Advocate*, Satan in the guise of a human lawyer.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27834180/news/) **Eric Roberts** plays the journalist Giuseppe, and **Vincent Spano** plays Nicolas Dell'Aria.[3](https://www.kinoundco.de/film/the-contract-5) The Italian supporting cast includes [Jane Alexander](https://www.edgepedia.org/jane-alexander), Eleonora Pieroni (credited as a police cop in the German listing), Nadia Rinaldi as a [Magistrate](https://www.edgepedia.org/magistrate), Andrea Roncato, Augusto Zucchi, Gianni Franco, and Vincenzo Della Corte.[1](https://filmitalia.org/en/film/1/196046/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt31576204/) • [3](https://www.kinoundco.de/film/the-contract-5) A fuller cast list adds Livia Pillmann, Jennifer Caroletti, Mercedesz Henger, Fabrizio Eleuteri, and Cristian Calabrese.[6](https://letterboxd.com/film/the-contract-2024-1/)
## Identity and verification
The film is documented in Filmitalia, the official database of the Italian film industry, which lists it as a 2024 Italian thriller directed by Massimo Paolucci with a 105-minute runtime and production by TM Entertainment and Ipnotica Produzioni.[1](https://filmitalia.org/en/film/1/196046/) Trade coverage by Variety, distributed through IMDb news, independently confirms the director, the leads, and the Cairo premiere.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27834180/news/) The film also carries the Greek alternate title *Το συμβόλαιο*.[2](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt31576204/)
The title is shared with other 2024 films. Rotten Tomatoes' "The Contract (2024)" page covers a different picture, a 1h 30m comedy about a married couple entering a contract to have a threesome, so the Paolucci thriller must be distinguished from other same-title 2024 works.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_contract_2024)
## Production
The film was directed by the Italian filmmaker Massimo Paolucci from an idea by Massimiliano Caroletti, scripted by his wife Éva Henger.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27834180/news/) Filmitalia credits the producers as Massimiliano Caroletti and Alberto De Venezia, with editing by Giulia Casari and Francesco Bureca.[1](https://filmitalia.org/en/film/1/196046/) Variety's account adds Sandro Lazzerini as a producer alongside TM Entertainment.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27834180/news/) Letterboxd lists the studios as TM Entertainment, Anteprima Eventi Production e Management, and Ipnotica Film, with Italy and the United States as countries.[6](https://letterboxd.com/film/the-contract-2024-1/) Filming took place in Rome, Lazio, and the film is an Italian production in English.[2](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt31576204/)
## Release and distribution
The film was marked ready on 1 November 2024 and screened as a Special Screening at the Cairo International Film Festival 2024.[1](https://filmitalia.org/en/film/1/196046/) Variety reported that it world-premiered at the Cairo festival in November 2024 without Spacey on the red carpet in the Egyptian capital's Opera House.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27834180/news/) It was released in Egypt on 14 November 2024[2](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt31576204/) and scheduled for German release on the same date.[3](https://www.kinoundco.de/film/the-contract-5)
## Reception
IMDb displays a user rating of 6.6/10 from 116 votes,[2](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt31576204/) while the aggregator MovieOTT reports 7.2/10 from 88 votes, a conflicting figure.[7](https://movieott.com/movies/the-contract) User reviews diverge in emphasis: one IMDb review calls it a psychological thriller with "a powerful and unsettling performance by Kevin Spacey" blending suspense with reflections on fate and free will,[2](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt31576204/) while a [Letterboxd](https://www.edgepedia.org/letterboxd) review finds it slow and predictable, writing that Spacey's performance, while decent, cannot make up for the lack of chemistry or development in the story.[6](https://letterboxd.com/film/the-contract-2024-1/) MovieOTT reports that the film secured three award wins at festivals and industry events, without naming them.[7](https://movieott.com/movies/the-contract)
## By the numbers
The film runs 105 minutes.[1](https://filmitalia.org/en/film/1/196046/) IMDb carries a user-contributed budget estimate of $12,000,000,[2](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt31576204/) but Variety's trade coverage described it as a low-budget-looking psychological thriller, and the poster as rather rudimentary, with the tagline "When Hell Surrounds You The Devil Is Your Last Hope."[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27834180/news/) The user rating is 6.6/10 from 116 votes on IMDb,[2](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt31576204/) against MovieOTT's conflicting 7.2/10 from 88 votes.[7](https://movieott.com/movies/the-contract)
## References
1. [The Contract – films ready – Filmitalia](https://filmitalia.org/en/film/1/196046/)
2. [The Contract (2024) – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt31576204/)
3. [The Contract – kino&co](https://www.kinoundco.de/film/the-contract-5)
4. [The Contract (2024) – News – IMDb (Variety trade coverage)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27834180/news/)
5. [The Contract (2024) – Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_contract_2024)
6. [The Contract (2024) directed by Massimo Paolucci – Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/film/the-contract-2024-1/)
7. [The Contract (2024) – Movie OTT](https://movieott.com/movies/the-contract)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2015–2019 films › Thriller and mystery films › Titles symbols to E*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license