In the new movie Contraband, Mark Walberg plays Chris Farraday, a retired ex-smuggler who has given up his criminal past to start a new life with his wife Kate (Kate Beckinsale), and their two sons. When his brother in-law (Caleb Landry Jones) botches up a drug smuggling contract, Chris must come out of retirement to save his wife’s brother and settle the debt with the drug dealer ( Giovanni Ribisi). Chris assembles a crew with help from his best friend Sebastian (Ben Foster) and he travels on a freight liner to Panama in an attempt to get millions in counterfeit money as a trade off for the drug dealer to leave him and his family alone. Things go horribly wrong when the brother in-law once again messes things up, and now Chris has only a few hours to get back to the states and try and save the lives of his wife and kids.
Now first off, I was impressed with the all-star cast ensemble in this film. All of the actors involved are well known in their own right, and putting them together was a good combination. Mark Walberg plays a very convincing tough guy, and Giovanni Ribisi is also very good as the menacing psycho drug dealer. Kate Beckinsale’s character on the other hand, could have been played by a lesser known actress, as there really wasn’t much for her to do in the movie but portray a concerned wife, and mother. Ben Foster was also good as the best friend. He and Mark seemed to have a good chemistry together. The movie wasn’t that much of a action packed film, as it was more of a fast paced thriller. There were a few action scenes that took place in Panama, but nothing too exciting.
The intriguing part of the movie was watching Mark’s character put this plan together, to save his family without getting in too deep where he would end up being locked up or killed. I have to say I expected more from this film, but it was alright for what it was. I gave this film 2 stars out of 4. It was a well put together cast, but I feel the talent level outshines the storyline. The movie runs 1 hour and 50 minutes. It’s rated R for violence, pervasive language, and brief drug use. It was written by Aaron Guzikowski and directed by baltasar Kormakur.
Sometimes contraband has a way of getting past customs – Ezo
Next week’s review: Underworld: Awakening
