There are few actors that I have blind-faith in, but after The Italian Job, The Departed, Shooter, and The Fighter, I will see anything that Mark Wahlberg decides to put in theaters. Needless to say, when I first caught wind of Contraband, I was thrilled that one of my favorite actors would be returning to one of his best genres, namely the gritty crime thriller. There was also a considerable amount of curiosity concerning the proposed subject-matter, as crime-centered narratives often showcase elaborate heists but rarely venture into the world of professional smuggling. Throw-in Kate Beckinsale, one of the most gorgeous women on the planet, and Giovanni Ribisi, a perpetually underrated yet consistently strong performer, and I had insanely high expectations for Contraband. Leading up to its release, promotions for the first true action thriller of 2012 were absolutely everywhere, and with early critical reviews praising the film, it looked like Wahlberg would strike cinematic gold…again.
Wow…as much as it pains me to say it, Contraband turned out to be a supreme disappointment, with this much-hyped film suffering from overacting, miscasting, poor direction, shoddy cinematography, and altogether confusing storytelling. The first and most easily identifiable shortcoming is the erratic direction and grainy cinematography, with blocked camera angles and blurry screen-shots trying to come-off as gritty, but only giving the film a low-budget and unrefined feel. Now, I could have probably forgiven the distracting look of Contraband had the story been thrilling or entertaining, as was promised; unfortunately, such was not the case. For the first hour, it is difficult to discern what exactly is unfolding onscreen, as the narrative does little to explain or identify some of the supposedly more elaborate points of the smugglers’ plans…heist films go through painful lengths to walk viewers through everything, so why wasn’t that tactic deemed necessary for a type of crime that few adequately understand? To be fair, Contraband does have a few entertaining moments, but in light of the aforementioned shortcomings, alongside other missteps like Wahlberg’s forced levity and Beckinsale’s poor casting, and this “thriller” is guaranteed to be an epic let-down for most moviegoers.
Overall Recommendation: Low
