nadinesalakovv
Contraband is an underrated movie. The performances are intense and well-acted, the film has good directing and the movie plot is decent. They went with a visually dark tone from start to finish which supports the story line. If you like crime thrillers, i recommend this. Maybe you have already seen this flick, maybe you haven't, but this is one of those movies that flew under the radar.
Contraband is a must-watch. The only problem i have with this film is a very brief scene that features a wolf in a cage. As an animal lover, things like that bother me, but i presume everything is fine and that the animal is from a conservation animal place because they won't be able to use wild animals that literally live in the wild.
Carlos Barton
After only reviewing movies recently which I find to be perfect, time to look at Contraband, something that in one scene, completely rips off an excellent moment from Heat, which turns out to be one of my all time favourite films.Plotwise, this young drug smuggler gets in trouble with his boss for losing some dope, so his older brother, a retired smuggler, hatches a plan to get some fake currency from Panama City to New Orleans.Sadly, from the get-go, this movie becomes hideously clichéd and for the most of the movie, as many other reviewers have pointed out, it's by-the-numbers from there. Thankfully you have Everest director Baltasar Kormákur to help salvage the film.Acting is fairly average, but many are hindered by the terrible writing. Mark Wahlberg gives his all and puts in a very reliable performance, while Ben Foster, who some consider to be one of the most underrated actors of his generation, produces scene-stealing work, and without giving away a twist about his character half-way through.J.K. Simmons produces mild comic relief, while everyone else is 'meh'. By the way, the worst job is by Giovanni Ribisi, although if he didn't try to put on an awful and unrecognizable (Southern?) accent he may well have made an effective adversary that actually belonged in the movie.It might sound like a strange thing to say, but Contraband had potential. If the story had the same basic plot motivation, but was modified by an established screenwriter, you had way less 'shaky cam' and zooming, the editing was less frenetic in places (excellent in the action scenes, though) and there was a better director, someone in the mould of Ridley Scott, for example, this might still be talked about today, 3 years later.Alas, I have to say, I just wasted 2 hours of my life watching this.
FilmBuff1994
Contraband is a very poor movie with an average storyline and a decent cast. It's simply a very typical action thriller, it's nothing more than that, it never try's to be anything more, the cast knew what is was and because of that they delivered very uninspired performances, there is nothing that makes this movie special or different whatsoever. I did think it had some good tense scenes that the movie needed more of, parts that got the audience nervous and anxious, those were certainly the best parts, I think the scene towards the beginning between Mark Wahlberg and Giovanni Ribisi was one of the best parts as we got to see the actors shine and it was quite intense. The films plot is definitely the weakest aspect of this, it starts off so simple that your brain isn't bothered to pay too much attention to it, and eventually becomes so convoluted that you can't keep up, it all comes together at the end but I was certainly scratching my head for a while. It's not terrible, but there is nothing special or unique about Contraband, which I think every movie should be in some way, and because of that I wouldn't recommend it. When his brother in law falls in debt with a murderous drug lord, a former smuggler returns to a life of crime. Best Performance: Mark Wahlberg Worst Performance: Kate Beckinsale
Guy
CONTRABAND is a wretched script elevated by some decent Scandi direction. The plot sees Marky Mark as an ex-smuggler who - who'd have guessed it? - gets pulled back in for one last job, after his brother in law loses a cargo that belonged to the wrong people. Soon he's got the old crew back together and they're off to Panama to pick up the goods, whilst his wife gets hassled by a thug from the same gang (which isn't entirely convincing as Kate Beckinsale looks like she could take Giovanni Ribisi in a fair fight anyday) and also by the ex-alcoholic friend he left behind to look after her. Smuggling is an interesting subject which is under-represented cinematically, although this film doesn't help because it's far more interested in heists and thuggery than in how the smuggling actually works. The aforementioned heist in Panama is the best part of the film, even if the plan makes no sense and leads to nearly everyone involved dying. The final outcome is never in doubt and the acting is pure formality but it rattles along, the location shooting is nice and the subject is just different enough to make this watchable.
AD
