MOVIE REVIEW: CONTRABAND (15)

"SLOW START, BRILLIANT FINISH"

Contraband is an action crime drama directed by Baltasa Kormarkur (same guy that brought us inhale, 2009). In a bid to protect his brother in law from a drug lord, a former smuggler heads to Panama to score millions of dollars in counterfeit bills. Its Starring Mark Wahlberg, Kate Beckinsale, Ben Foster, Caleb Landry Jones, Giovanni Ribsi, Lukas Haas, J.K. Simmons, Diego Luna, Robert Wahlberg, Olafur Darri Olafsson, Jaqueline Fleming, William Lucking, Amber Gaiennie, Paul LeBlanc, Kent Jude Bernard, Jackson Beals, Connor Hill & David O'Hara.

#FilmFact: Baltasar Kormakur, director of the film, was the lead actor of the original film, Reykjavik-Rotterdam, playing the same role as Mark Wahlberg.

THE REVIEW:

I have always liked Mark Wahlberg, hes a good action man so naturally when i saw the trailer of him in this crime drama, i got excited to see how well they incorporated him in this story.

 

After watching Contraband i must say i was not too thrilled about the start, it was slow, obvious and sort of boring but as soon the story left gear one it instantly became interesting. Characters started connecting, deals were made & plans were been drawn up. I'm glad the storyline didn't recline, it got better and more dramatic with each twists and turns. It made me think how everything was connecting and how it was all going to turn out. That was this films engaging point, trying to figure out what was going to happen before it did. 

The message of love, family, friendship & betrayal is what the director went for and its what he was able to portray on screen. Great cinematography. If you forget about reality and just enjoy the eye catching action scenes then you will really enjoy this film.

I liked all the characters because even though the baddies had guns, they were not the scariest characters. This is where the drama shines, we normally expect people with guns in movies to be the ones every fears, but even them guys get treated like anyone else. Its a good change to see action drama film blended together and made to look normal. The acting was believable, simple and blended well with the storyline. Mark Walhberg will be proud to be the headline of this film because he acted brilliantly and lead naturally. All the characters pull of great performances.

OVERALL: ENGAGING

 STAR RATINGS OUT OF 5:  3.5

ONE FAVOURITE MOMENT IN THE FILM:

The gun battle between the police and outlaws trying to steal a painting.

(if you loved another moment in the film, please feel free to share it with us in the comments)

TRAILER: