Contraband

Mark Wahlberg is back to his roots in something he is good in and probably wants to be in. This is basically a smuggling movie with a bit of heist in it and it trying to go in a gritty direction when it comes to the smuggling business. So Chris Farraday(Mark Wahlberg) has a wife and kids and running a legal business until his wife's brother Andy tries to get into the smuggling business and screws it up. And gets in debt with Tim Briggs(Giovanni Ribisi) and so Chris has to get back into smuggling in order to pay off Andy's debt. So Chris Farraday is this big shot top of the top when it comes to smuggling back in the day, but he just makes obvious mistakes in this movie. For someone who gone a long way depending on his wits doesn't seem that bright in this movie sometimes. Kate Beckinsale is alright in this playing Chris's wife but nothing much, and her name is Kate in this as well. Ben Foster plays a friend of Chris Farraday and from his past movies he is pretty good at playing the sidekick/friend that is sorta complex and is unclear about his motives sometimes. And he plays that similar character well in this. The movie starts off alright and the smuggling mission is done alright but nothing new but the movie just seemed absurd and stupid when it came to Chris Farraday's family constantly getting threatened while Chris is away on the smuggling mission. Anyways there is just nothing new or innovative about this movie and there isn't really anything that will really grab your attention and interest from beginning to the end. Even the ending is super cliché, especially for a movie that does these sharp in and out camera shots to make it seem gritty. The movie just gets tiresome after about an hour and 15 minutes in. It's worth seeing if there isn't anything else that is good but nothing special either.

6.1/10

If you've seen the trailer, you can already tell that Contraband really doesn't have anything new to offer as a film. It has a typical heist/revenge thriller plot with some thrills and good action sequences. However, Contraband manages to be a slightly better than your typical thriller.

Mark Wahlberg gives a really good performance and Giovanni Ribisi did a really great job as the films over-the-top villain. The film does a great job of getting down the gritty tone and gives the film a realistic feel to it. I also enjoyed how instead of being a straight out action flick, the film actually took time to develop what they had with the plot and show the whole set up of the heist.

For most of it's nearly 2 hour runtime, Contraband kept me entertained for the most part. It still suffers from it's expected flaws. The plot isn't exactly strong and is pretty convoluted and very predictable. I also didn't care for the way the film wrapped up.

Overall, there really isn't a whole lot about to say about Contraband, but I would highly recommend it to someone who is looking for a good rental. If you like Marky Mark, than it's worth a shot.

Contraband is a well-made action film with strong acting, good directing, and great cinematography that draws you into New Orleans, Panama, and their freight ship. Mark Walberg plays a man pulled back into his smuggling past to right the wrongs of his naive brother-in-law and protect his family.

Mark Walberg is excellent as the lead character. He is strong in the action scenes on his smuggling trip to Panama , and he is just as good in dramatic scenes calling his wife to help her back home. He is a strong protagonist who is likable and draws a lot of empathy as he tries to fight the bad guys and save his family.

Walberg is supported by a strong cast. Giovannis Ribisi does well as a dirty, corrupt smuggler who terrorizes his family, Ben Foster is excellent as Walberg's recovering addict and alcoholic ex-smuggling parter who struggles to do the right thing. And, Kate Beckinsale is great as Walberg's wife, who also must fight to protect her family.

The director does a great job of building intensity throughout the film. He brings the audience into the smuggling trade in a realistic and believable manner. And, the director effectively engages the audience in the drama and action at three locations simultaneously as the film builds to its resolution back in New Orleans.

Overall, the film is a strong action film. If you dismiss the standard plot and some lapses of reality, you'll enjoy the intense action, strong acting, and great scenery. Catch Contraband in the theaters to enjoy it on the big screen.

Just be careful about smuggling your own candy into the theater.

Contraband starts like "Gone in 60 Seconds", but instead of boosting cars it's about smuggling contraband, and like GI6S it's because of an idiot younger brothers and familial responsibilities that brings an ex-criminal/smuggler out of retirement for that one last job. Chris our smuggler protagonist is deemed the Houdini of smuggling but in reality, he's a general super bad-ass who can talk fast, kick ass and smuggle at superhero levels. We are then treated to the Mark Wahlberg show where it's hard to imagine anything adverse happening to him and we just go along with the ride.

The movie is at its best after it sheds its GI6S intro and moves to the nitty gritty details of smuggling. The movie feels at home at sea where everything is calculated and ordered, but while on land, the movie is always bizarre, violent and out of control. This lends for some really angular storytelling that keeps the movie exciting and interesting.

It's great to see Kate Beckinsdale in the movies again though she plays the wife whose main role is to look great and be in distress, a far cry from her iconic Underworld Selene or from her last movie Whiteout.

On the whole it's a good action movie and if you liked Mark Wahlberg's previous movies like the Italian Job and Shooter, you will also like this.

It was a really good movie ... I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The story gets progressively more complicated as the movie continues. Wahlberg does a great job filling the lead role and the bad guy's were good at their roles too.

Great action flick!