In Contraband, we see Mark Wahlberg very comfortable in the role of a former crook, turned family man who is forced back into the game for a final score. Sound familiar? The film certainly isn’t shy about treading this territory, instead choosing to rely on a series of plot twists which can’t salvage the film. All this makes for a very convoluted plot, that can neither be interesting or important, rather simply creating an uninteresting and overly long running time.

The film opens with Andy (Caleb Landry Jones) attempting to smuggle ten pounds of cocaine into the Port of New Orleans, when border patrol boards the freighter, forcing Andy to dump the haul into the bay. Unfortunately, this upsets the local drug smuggling tough guy, Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi featuring a very strange accent), who refuses to be reasonable as he demands payment, lest Andy and his whole family be murdered. Thus setting into motion are story.


Enter Mark Wahlberg, as Andy’s brother-in-law and former superstar smuggler, Chris Farraday, who is happily retired and focusing on his life with his wife Kate (Kate Beckinsale), kids, and best friend Sebastian (Ben Foster), who offers up the lone solid performance in the film. Farraday is forced to re-team with his old crew to smuggle a large amount of counterfeit bills from Panama aboard a freighter and pay back the debt.

Despite the predictable and unoriginal premise and set-up, within the first thirty minutes Contraband seems poised to be at the very least an enjoyable and thrilling (if not silly) caper, but unfortunately this is not the case, due in large part to a series of pointless plot decisions and an overall shoddy structure to the film. Mark Wahlberg is in cruise control as Chris Farraday, in a role so familiar to the star, he seemingly hardly needs to act at all.

Directed by Baltasar Kormákur, who starred in the Icelandic movie this film is based on, Contraband displays a quality of “faux-grittiness”. I say this due to the fact that, despite the exterior “look” of the film, it never seems to contain any form of immediate or tangible consequence, and despite scene after scene of Wahlberg and company racing against the clock, doesn’t feel all too real or exiting.

For such a simple plot which numerous films have already treaded before, Contraband packs in new twists and plot developments, which instead of becoming entertaining, are simply convoluted and unnecessary fluff, as the filmmakers attempt to trick the audience in order to deliver on a series of reveals during the film’s final act. Unfortunately, a few moments for truly thrilling entertainment can’t salvage a hopelessly dull, preposterous plot with too many issues to count.

Grade: C-

Rated: R (for violence, pervasive language and brief drug use.)

Contraband opens nationwide January 13.