Contraband
3/4
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Caleb Landry Jones, Ben Foster, Kate Beckinsale, Giovanni Ribisi
Rated R for Violence, Pervasive Language, and Brief Drug Use
For once, Hollywood gets a year off to a solid start. Although it's by no means perfect, Mark Wahlberg's new thriller, "Contraband" is a decent reason to head to the multiplexes, especially when the weather is this crummy.
Chris Farraday (Wahlberg) used to be a career smuggler who has now gone straight. He has his own security business and is living a decent blue-collar life with his wife, Kate (Beckinsale) and two children. But when his brother-in-law Andy (Jones) is caught smuggling drugs and forced to throw $700,000 worth of cocaine overboard, he is forced to return to his life of crime in order to save Andy from certain death at the hands of a nasty criminal named Briggs (Ribisi).
The film isn't so much plot oriented as it is detailing the ins and outs of pulling this kind of heist off. Of course they run into Murphy's Law, so they have to improvise, which keeps us on our toes. Director Baltasar Kormakur, who starred and produced (but did not direct) "Reykjavik-Rotterdam," the film upon which "Contraband" is based, is able to generate a significant amount of tension from a number of situations that the characters find themselves in. It's interesting, although not particularly revolutionary, how these guys find ways to get around the law.
The acting is solid. Mark Wahlberg is his usual reliable self, although the role doesn't really stretch his limited range. He's an effective anchor which is all that really matters. Giovanni Ribisi turns up the weird and nasty as the vicious Briggs; from the minute he appears on screen we know he's up to no good. Ben Foster is his usual reliable self as Chris's best friend and the protector of his wife and kids. Sadly, Kate Beckinsale is wasted. An actress of considerable talent, she's stuck in the thankless role of the loving wife whose threats from the villain are used to generate tension. Beckinsale does what she can with the role, and that's good enough.
For about 70 minutes, Kormakur keeps things relatively neat and tidy. But in an attempt to tie up every loose end, things start to come off the rails. He doesn't lose control of the film, but things do get a little messy. For example, when the big betrayal comes, we know who does what but not why or how. Fortunately, it's not really enough to damage the film very much.
This is a decent flick. The performances are solid, it's suitably gritty and twisted, and it contains some genuine thrills. For a January dump, it's all that we can ask for.
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Caleb Landry Jones, Ben Foster, Kate Beckinsale, Giovanni Ribisi
Rated R for Violence, Pervasive Language, and Brief Drug Use
For once, Hollywood gets a year off to a solid start. Although it's by no means perfect, Mark Wahlberg's new thriller, "Contraband" is a decent reason to head to the multiplexes, especially when the weather is this crummy.
Chris Farraday (Wahlberg) used to be a career smuggler who has now gone straight. He has his own security business and is living a decent blue-collar life with his wife, Kate (Beckinsale) and two children. But when his brother-in-law Andy (Jones) is caught smuggling drugs and forced to throw $700,000 worth of cocaine overboard, he is forced to return to his life of crime in order to save Andy from certain death at the hands of a nasty criminal named Briggs (Ribisi).
The film isn't so much plot oriented as it is detailing the ins and outs of pulling this kind of heist off. Of course they run into Murphy's Law, so they have to improvise, which keeps us on our toes. Director Baltasar Kormakur, who starred and produced (but did not direct) "Reykjavik-Rotterdam," the film upon which "Contraband" is based, is able to generate a significant amount of tension from a number of situations that the characters find themselves in. It's interesting, although not particularly revolutionary, how these guys find ways to get around the law.
The acting is solid. Mark Wahlberg is his usual reliable self, although the role doesn't really stretch his limited range. He's an effective anchor which is all that really matters. Giovanni Ribisi turns up the weird and nasty as the vicious Briggs; from the minute he appears on screen we know he's up to no good. Ben Foster is his usual reliable self as Chris's best friend and the protector of his wife and kids. Sadly, Kate Beckinsale is wasted. An actress of considerable talent, she's stuck in the thankless role of the loving wife whose threats from the villain are used to generate tension. Beckinsale does what she can with the role, and that's good enough.
For about 70 minutes, Kormakur keeps things relatively neat and tidy. But in an attempt to tie up every loose end, things start to come off the rails. He doesn't lose control of the film, but things do get a little messy. For example, when the big betrayal comes, we know who does what but not why or how. Fortunately, it's not really enough to damage the film very much.
This is a decent flick. The performances are solid, it's suitably gritty and twisted, and it contains some genuine thrills. For a January dump, it's all that we can ask for.
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