The former king of smugglers who went straight, Chris is lured/forced into the quintessential One Last Job when his young brother-in-law (Caleb Landry Jones) screws up a shipment, tossing a batch of drugs overboard when his ship is interdicted. Walberg is Chris Faraday, the lone good guy who plays at being a bad guy. It's a rather large and motley crew of characters, good guys and bad guys and bad guys pretending to be good guys. "Contraband" has misplaced aspirations toward something a little deeper, with a fine cast that includes Ben Foster, Giovanni Ribisi, Diego Luna and J.K. (Imagine Noomi Rapace tapped to helm the American version of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.") I admit I've never heard of the star of a foreign movie directing an American actor in the Hollywood remake. "Contraband" is based, very loosely, on an Icelandic film about a smuggler, and is directed by Baltasar Kormákur, who was the star and one of the producers of the earlier movie. He specializes in playing the underdog who always seems to gain the upper hand. Lately Wahlberg's roles have gravitated more toward characters motivated to protect his family, rather than just watching his own back.īut once things get going, it's all about Wahlberg out-muscling and out-thinking his enemies. For sure, Mark Wahlberg fans will be pleased as he serves up a humane hunk with a heart for his family.Here's a tidy little heist/thriller starring Mark Wahlberg doing what he does best: Playing the lone wolf vying against the various forces arrayed against him. Ackroyd does, however, lens the film with a grittiness that amplifies the action and heightens the suspense.Ī far better option than last weekend's unexpected hit The Devil Inside, Contraband will no doubt please fans looking for an escapist experience or a decent action flick devoid of complicated storylines. The film is shot by The Hurt Locker's Barry Ackroyd, though one does wish Kormakur had opted for a bit less in the way of hand-held shots. Simmons is a hoot as the captain of the ship upon which Farraday decides to pull his heist, while Caleb Landry Jones joins Diego Luna and Lukas Haas in rounding out the better than usual cast for this type of cinematic fare. Instead of your stereotypical good guy or bad guy, Foster does an excellent job of layering his performance with a remarkable depth of humanity. Ben Foster seems like he's always cast in this type of role, but that's likely because he's so darn good at 'em. Massively underrated Giovanni Ribisi is awesome as Tim Briggs, a sort of cajun-speakin' psychotic whose every move elicits anxiety and dread. In a rarity among action films, even the supporting players are well cast here. That said, her personality fits with Wahlberg like a glove as both performers project a sort of simmering placidity in their demeanor. Beckinsale, of course, is also a bit of a kick-ass action star thanks to the Underworld films, a fact that does make her role here as a somewhat victimized wife seem like a bit of a stretch. Wahlberg is teamed well with Kate Beckinsale as his wife. he's completely believable as someone who would do just about whatever it takes to protect his family, and his performance here is both exciting to watch and emotionally resonant. This film offers Wahlberg the chance to flex his biceps and his emotions as Farraday, a buff kick-ass dude whose entire reason for re-entering his former profession is deemed noble because he's doing so to protect his family. While Wahlberg has never been a brilliant actor, he's a consistently good one who over the years has challenged himself in a variety of genres and in films where you'd swear he'd fall flat on his face (and he occasionally has). Director Baltasar Kormakur starred in the Icelandic original, and while there's not an ounce of originality in the film there's an abundance of decent action and macho humor.Ĭontraband is the kind of film that's perfectly suited for Mark Wahlberg, one of the few actors who is at home in an action flick as he is in an arthouse flick. Mark Wahlberg stars as Chris Farraday, a former smuggler turned family man who's forced back into the action when his wife's (Kate Beckinsale) baby brother (Caleb Landry Jones) becomes massively in debt to baddie Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi) after a smuggling job gone bad. An American adaptation of a 2008 Nordic thriller called Reykjavik Rotterdam, Contraband is your standard issue action thriller with the notable exception that it's well cast enough to maintain consistent watchability and to be far more entertaining than you would ever expect.
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