Contrebande

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

Another one of Mark Wahlbergs action films. Which is probably one of his better ones. The plot is interesting and has not been done 1000 times and the acting is good from the whole cast. This is actually one of the better action movies I have seen lately. The story line is very simple and straight forward but if your a fan of action movies this is right up your alley.

This movie is about an ex smuggler(Wahlberg) who has a brother in law that got mixed up with some drug dealers. In order to save his brother in laws life he must go to panama and smuggle back millions of dollars in counterfeit bills.

This movie is definitely worth a watch or two. It is very simple but the entertainment factor is there.

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!

Directing 6/10- Some unique and intriguing shots, but nothing too rememberable Acting 8.5/10- The acting is the category that without a doubt, stole the show. Solid efforts from the entire cast but the film really benefited from tremendous performances from Ribisi and Landry Jones. Screenplay 4/10- The screenplay is fun no doubt and benefits from decent pacing and a few intense action sequences but the film lacks originality, stealing concepts and at times, lines. Visual effects 5/10- The visual effects were average. I can't completely fault a film for not using unnecessary visuals. Sound effects/Music 5/10- The sound effects were fine, nothing misplaced there. The music was again just OK, sometimes the music was great and mixed well with the action going on but in some the haunting/emotional scenes the music didn't make the scene 'better', which is what it should do. Overall, the film is just another forgettable action film. The film has decent enough story (though cliché), with great acting and some fun action sequences that make the film at least worth a viewing.

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.