Contraband (C or 2/4 stars)
Chris Farraday (Mark Wahlberg) a former smuggler of illegal items/contraband has, for the sake of his wife, Kate (Kate Beckinsale), & 2 kids, has gone straight in 'Contraband' (directed by Baltasar Kormakur). Despite constant temptations to return to a life of crime, he stays on the right side of the law - that is until circumstances dictate otherwise. But after his brother-in-law, Andy, botches a drug deal for his ruthless drug dealer boss, Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi), Chris is forced back into running contraband - to settle his bro-in-law's debt. So yes, this is one of those "okay, I'll do it one-last-time" heist movies {haha}.
Chris gathers the old crew with the help of his pal, Sebastian (Ben Foster), gets on a freighter ship, & heads to Panama to return with counterfeit currency ($20 million). But the transaction goes awry (with hours to reach the $$) and, back home in New Orleans, Briggs threatens Chris' family with their lives unless he can deliver. Chris and co. must use their dormant skills to navigate a criminal network of drug lords, cops, & hit men before his wife & sons become their new target.
'Contraband' is the kind of thriller that looks good in a 2-minute trailer, but lacks the firepower/cohesion for a 110 min. film. By nature, heist-oriented thrillers are based on contrivances, but a skilled director can still make the whole thing seem like a fun ride. Sadly, in the case of this movie, you realize early on that Kormakur is not one of those directors. Either as a result of a poor script or messy editing, there are too many plot holes that don't get filled. With exception of a great cargo ship action sequence, film's the energy level is low, & the happy ending is wrapped-up in too nice of a pretty bow.
As Chris, Mark Wahlberg lends his usual low-key persona (plus a thousand utterings of f*ck, motherf*cker, or motherf*cking). I always like Wahlberg. I like his glower; his presence. But Kormakur is not the kind of director and 'Contraband' is not the type of movie that can bring out the best from our leading man. That said, I did like some of his interplay with Giovanni Ribisi & Ben Foster. Kate Beckinsale, saddled with trailer trash black roots for her bleached hair (oh, how gritty, how authentic!), is fine, but she's given nothing to do with that wife character. All she is is a major plot device.
While Kormakur brings a dark, offbeat humor to the proceedings, his handling of action scenes is sketchy; and the story is frustratingly driven by characters doing stupid things. Furthermore, there are some graphically violent scenes of women & children in jeopardy of their lives that felt too exploitative. And as mentioned, the absurd twists, narrative detours, coincidences, 'nick of time' contrivances, & too-neat ending is the stuff of low-level motion pictures.
You know, for a story about reformed criminals being forced back into the game, nasty drug dealers, smuggling, betrayal, revenge, & redemption ... 'Contraband' somewhat delivers. There's just not enough flair, style, or energy to compliment it all. Now, the movie IS watchable. I liked several tense, nail-biting scenes. But it all adheres to a too-predictable heist formula. There are too many starts & stops. Too many suspension-of-disbeliefs. Too much - and I HATE this - grey/green lensing by the cinematographer; to give the movie a gritty feel. It's repetitive. It's ugly. And it's become a hallmark of these crime thrillers. It needs to stop.
Chris gathers the old crew with the help of his pal, Sebastian (Ben Foster), gets on a freighter ship, & heads to Panama to return with counterfeit currency ($20 million). But the transaction goes awry (with hours to reach the $$) and, back home in New Orleans, Briggs threatens Chris' family with their lives unless he can deliver. Chris and co. must use their dormant skills to navigate a criminal network of drug lords, cops, & hit men before his wife & sons become their new target.
'Contraband' is the kind of thriller that looks good in a 2-minute trailer, but lacks the firepower/cohesion for a 110 min. film. By nature, heist-oriented thrillers are based on contrivances, but a skilled director can still make the whole thing seem like a fun ride. Sadly, in the case of this movie, you realize early on that Kormakur is not one of those directors. Either as a result of a poor script or messy editing, there are too many plot holes that don't get filled. With exception of a great cargo ship action sequence, film's the energy level is low, & the happy ending is wrapped-up in too nice of a pretty bow.
As Chris, Mark Wahlberg lends his usual low-key persona (plus a thousand utterings of f*ck, motherf*cker, or motherf*cking). I always like Wahlberg. I like his glower; his presence. But Kormakur is not the kind of director and 'Contraband' is not the type of movie that can bring out the best from our leading man. That said, I did like some of his interplay with Giovanni Ribisi & Ben Foster. Kate Beckinsale, saddled with trailer trash black roots for her bleached hair (oh, how gritty, how authentic!), is fine, but she's given nothing to do with that wife character. All she is is a major plot device.
While Kormakur brings a dark, offbeat humor to the proceedings, his handling of action scenes is sketchy; and the story is frustratingly driven by characters doing stupid things. Furthermore, there are some graphically violent scenes of women & children in jeopardy of their lives that felt too exploitative. And as mentioned, the absurd twists, narrative detours, coincidences, 'nick of time' contrivances, & too-neat ending is the stuff of low-level motion pictures.
You know, for a story about reformed criminals being forced back into the game, nasty drug dealers, smuggling, betrayal, revenge, & redemption ... 'Contraband' somewhat delivers. There's just not enough flair, style, or energy to compliment it all. Now, the movie IS watchable. I liked several tense, nail-biting scenes. But it all adheres to a too-predictable heist formula. There are too many starts & stops. Too many suspension-of-disbeliefs. Too much - and I HATE this - grey/green lensing by the cinematographer; to give the movie a gritty feel. It's repetitive. It's ugly. And it's become a hallmark of these crime thrillers. It needs to stop.