'Contraband' fails to bring the goods

Release: January 13th, 2012

 

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Ben Foster, Giovanni Ribisi, Kate Beckinsale

Director: Baltasar Kormákur

Run Time: 1 Hour 49 Minutes      Rated: R

Chris Farraday (Mark Wahlberg) had left the criminal underworld behind him and became a husband and father. 

But the past has come back to haunt this one time legendary smuggler when his brother-in-law Andy (Caleb Landry Jones) is in need of protection from his boss Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi).

He was out, but now the circumstances have pulled him back in.

Farraday takes a job that will protect his brother-in-law, but finds the job quickly goes south putting his wife (Kate Beckinsale) and their children in the crosshairs.

The story here is nothing to get excited about, and maybe the one saving grace would be the action. 

Unfortunately for the moviegoer (and the movie) action cannot save this film because the only small pockets of action can be found.

The one adrenalin shot Contraband really gets from action is when Farraday's and one of his crew get caught up in an armored car heist. This is exciting stuff, especially when it goes a little south.

Like all stimulants however, this shot of adrenalin wears off.

Contraband is then left with predictability issues, hollow characters, and the feeling that the film is dragging on far too long.

There is no sense of excitement or tension from close calls, or even from plot twists. The twists in the film can be seen from a mile away, or are spelled out for the audience.  I don't think it's too much to ask for a challenge, and a real surprise from a film about smuggling and other illegal nastiness.

Of course it could just be me.

The need for a sharp looking movie also seems to be a tall order to fill, because there are several (mostly close-up) shots that become significantly blurred. This is done for style, but if there is ever a reason to sacrifice style, this blurring shot would be it.

Contraband suffers from many problems, from lack of action to even the distracting styles of some shots, but in the end the number one problem has to be with the characters.

It's hard to really feel for any of these people on the screen. These characters that the audience is supposed to feel for are suffering from a lack of compelling story and in one case a lack of weak casting.

Not only does Contraband lack story and developed characters, but has cast Mark Wahlberg in the role of hero tough guy.

This is a role he's done several times, and it is a little boring to see him picked for the same role over and over. The scenery might change, but the same guy finds his way into the same performance with very few exceptions.

Contraband is a film that pulls one in with the promise of action  twists and turns, but ends up feeling too long and being weak in pretty much every area it explored. It's not wrong to want more out of an action film, and it's not wrong to want a challenge, just don't expect that from Contraband.

Grade:F