Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Kate Beckinsale, Giovani, Ribisi, Ben Foster
Director: Baltasar Komakur
Ratings: 2.5/5
Action at its best attempts something out of nothing...
By Priyanka Ketkar
In the movie Drive, we saw Ryan Gosling take up the gun against his will, in order to save someone dear... Now, in Contraband, we see something similar when Chris Farraday (Mark Wahlberg) takes up the gun to save his brother-in-law. Contraband, directed by Baltasar Kormakur is based on the Icelandic film Reykjavik-Rotterdam in which the director himself has acted.
No doubt, Contraband has all the cliches in the world. The smuggler is all set to do this "one last job" to save his near & dear ones. But where the movie lacks, it substitutes through the acting, the beautiful locations and the tight screenplay.
An experienced smuggler, Chris has retired from crime to settle down in married bliss; alas, his wife, Kate (Kate Beckinsale), has a brother who has made a mess of a cocaine delivery, and lives are in danger unless the veteran Chris steps in and performs a make-good job. Chris has entrusted an old pal named Sebastian (Ben Foster) to protect Kate and the children while he's on the job. She may require protection, because a snaky crime lord named Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi) is the boss of this deal. Or is he really? Chris will be exposed to some truths and some lies but will he succeed in this job?
The job is not easy. Smuggling millions of dollars in counterfeit bills from Panama is not a child's play. On top of that when you have an idiot for a brother-in-law, you are bound to fall deeper into the trap. The way the entire part of him loading the bills on the ship, hiding them, not getting caught, his attitude of being "one-step ahead" of his enemies and his love for his family is all very intriguing.
Mark Walhberg is good as always but he seems a bit tired. Kate Beckinsale is a good house-wife, has given a fine performance, but she has a very tiny role. Giovanni Ribisi, is the best. He is completely himself, funny, scary, loathsome yet, likeable. Panama is seldom seen in major films, so sequences featuring the canal, the soaring new skyline and reeking slums impart welcome color and visual interest.
The movie is not too long but the first half will seem to be a bit stretched and at times even boring. But, the movie picks-up post-interval. What finally starts-off well again falls towards the end. The movie which is made up of a typical storyline, cliched incidents and a decent cast doesn't really work as something you will want to catch up on your weekend. But nevertheless, you can watch the movie for its thrills and the action which is sprinkled here and there.