Contraband

ATTENTION: MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED!! DON’T READ THIS IF YOU ARE ON YOUR WAY TO THE THEATRE TO SEE THIS MOVIE!!!

Contraband

January 14 2012

Today was COLD and rainy so it was the perfect time to take in an action flick and drool over Mark Wahlberg. The previews before the movie started were awesome. There was a new trailer that I had never seen for The Hunger Games and a great Haywire trailer too…..can’t wait to see both of those.

My opinion:

3.5 out of 5 bags of popcorn for the overall movie

4 out of 5 boxes of milk duds for my personal entertainment

My suggestion: Go to the theatre it won’t be the same on DVD

The gist: This movie is about an ex-smuggler, Chris Farraday, played by Mark Wahlberg. Chris has gone legit and is self-employed installing home security systems. Although he has been out of the smuggling game for a while he gets sucked back in when a deal his brother in law is involved in goes very wrong. After this his brother in law’s life is in danger unless he can pay back the fearsome Tim Briggs (played by Giovanni Ribisi). Chris strikes a deal with Briggs to smuggle in some funny money and fully pay him back to get his brother in law’s name cleared. He sets sail on a ship to Panama where he uses his influence to procure a crew and uses his knowledge of the game to get out of some life threatening situations. Meanwhile, back home his wife and kids lives are threatened by Briggs and she seeks shelter with Chris’ best friend who is also an ex-smuggler. This movie is full of fast paced fighting, a double cross, a wife in danger and everything that makes a great action flick!

I really enjoyed this movie. There was so much to love, the gorgeous Mark Wahlberg for one and the always creepy Giovanni Ribisi for another. These two were perfect in their roles. No one plays a better bad boy turned good then Mark Wahlberg. He has really kept in shape in his middle age! Giovanni Ribisi has certainly found his calling as a threatening bully of a criminal. He is just ruthless enough to make us believe he is a little bat shit crazy. I also cannot overlook Ben Foster. He is also one of those actors that can send chills down your spine as kind of a creepy character. (see him in Alpha Dog and you will see what I mean!) He plays Chris Farraday’s best friend and ex-smuggling buddy. It is clear from the beginning that they are as close as brothers. His transformation from good guy to not so good guy is totally predictable, but he made the conflicting emotions just believable enough which saved the whole plot line. While we are on the subject of the cast, Kate Beckinsale played Chris’ wife and she was just okay. I think she is beautiful and I don’t prefer her in roles where she has to be somewhat gritty. I like the Pearl Harbor Kate better!

I love a good action flick and this one certainly delivered. There was a HUGE car chase/shoot out in Panama along with a crashing boat. Although the plot is pretty predictable it still had enough interesting elements to make it enjoyable and set it apart from every other action movie out there right now. The end of the movie is great, just the right amount of revenge and good luck to make you smile!