Film Review: Contraband

Director: Baltasar Kormákur

The little known fact about Contraband is that it's actually a remake of an Icelandic film called Reykjavik-Rotterdam which starred none other than Baltasar Kormákur. Unfortunately it seems to have fared better in Icelandic than it has as an American version with the critics.

Mark Wahlberg as Chris Farraday

Chris Farraday (played to an acceptable standard by Mark Wahlberg) is an ex-smuggler who now fits security alarms to support his wife Kate (Kate Beckinsale) and two kids. He is forced back into the smuggling game as his brother in-law Andy (totally miscast Caleb Landry Jones) drops a drugs shipment into the ocean after a surprise inspection by U.S. Customs. Tim Briggs (convincingly played by Giovanni Ribisi) wants Andy to repay him the drug's worth in cash which forces Chris to act with him on one last trip. Naturally much double crossing and problems arise on the trip to Panama to get the package of fake U.S. dollars.

It really seems the bad guy turned good guy going back for one last job scenario has been really over played in recent years. We are supposed to be cheering for Chris because he is now a good guy and has just got sucked in for one last job but it certainly wasn't what I was doing. The greediness in their plan leaves you hating everybody you are supposed to like and feeling sorry for Captain Camp (best performance of the film played by J.K. Simmons) but maybe that's just because I like him much more as an actor.

Giovanni Ribisi as Tim Briggs

None of the acting performances are particularly bad in this case, it's just the plot is either predictable and a bit cliché in parts or just totally laughable in others. The film would have been better had they made it more of a comedy caper rather than a serious action thriller, the joke about the stolen Jackson Pollock painting proving my idea. Being honest, even if you want a film just to entertain you with action sequences then there are better films than this one.

1/4 not boring but certainly predictable and unbelievable in parts.