The variety of mercenary crime is contract killing. Self-interest is clearly expressed in it.
Serial Killing & the Cinema 1. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari 2. M 3. The Deliberate Stranger 4. Ted Bundy 5. Bundy: A Legacy of Evil 6. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile 7. Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman 8. The Riverman
A contract killer is colloquially known as a hitman.
The mission-oriented killer sees his goal as eliminating an identifiable group of people such as prostitutes or young women. The hedonistic type kills for the pleasure derived from the act of killing. Finally, the power/control-oriented type derives gratification from exerting control over a helpless victim.
The Purge. A wealthy family is held hostage for harboring the target of a murderous syndicate during the Purge, a 12-hour period in which any and all crime is legal. A wealthy family is held hostage for harboring the target of a murderous syndicate during the Purge, a 12-hour period in which any and all crime is legal.
7. John Wick. John Wick is a former hitman grieving the loss of his true love.
A hitman, on the other hand, is a term that is often synonymous with contract killer although it can also be used to denote a criminal who frequently carries out a targeted killing (referred to as a "hit") on behalf of an organized crime syndicate to which they are affiliated with.
Contract killers ("hitmen") may exhibit similar characteristics of serial killers, but are generally not classified as such because of third-party killing objectives and detached financial and emotional incentives. Nevertheless, there are occasionally individuals that are labeled as both a hitman and a serial killer.
A contract killer is colloquially known as a hitman.
Hitmen are often portrayed as cold, efficient killers who do not have a personal connection to their victims. They may work for criminal organizations, drug cartels, or individual clients. An assassin, on the other hand, is someone who carries out a political or ideological killing.