A good heist film is expected to deliver the following: intensity, ingenuity, humour and a few surprises. A Mark Wahlberg heist film has yet to receive a failing grade in any of these areas, and Contraband passes with honours.
Chris Farraday (Wahlberg) used to be a smuggler. He was so good, his nickname was Houdini. But when he got married and had kids, he retired and went legit. His wife’s (Kate Beckinsale) little brother, on the other hand, got mixed up with the wrong guy (Giovanni Ribisi). Now Chris has been pulled back in for one last job to keep his brother-in-law from being killed. And he’s called on some old friends to help him get the job done.
This summary is almost identical to the one for Gone in 60 Seconds – it even stars one of the same actors – but the cars aren’t as pretty and they’re not actually stealing anything; they’re just smuggling it into the country.
Outside of Wahlberg keeping his shirt on for the entire movie, this is a typical performance by the actor. Nothing about his character is unexpected: he’s a caring father, loving husband and he’s not afraid to get dirty or throw a few punches when required. Beckinsale is best known for her tough vampire persona Selene of the Underworld franchise, so you find yourself constantly waiting for her to save herself from her clumsy attackers, but alas her Contraband character is just a regular housewife, not a trained assassin. Ribisi has never played a guy this ignorant and apparently stupid. He alters his voice to an annoying whine and looks like a scruffy thug; but, not surprisingly, he is incredibly convincing. Ben Foster portrays Chris’ best friend and once again demonstrates he takes a fake beating very well.
The heist involves smuggling an obscene amount of uncut cash from Panama to New Orleans, but they pick up some additional, unexpected cargo along the way. The plan unfolds quickly as Chris begins making the necessary arrangements and a montage glosses over the seedy details. Once docked in Panama, the intensity increases as Chris races against the clock to get back to the ship before it leaves. Not all of the road blocks are predictable; though it’s obvious there will be several obstacles. Diego Luna is excellent as the maniacal head of a cartel determined to possess a Jackson Pollock painting.
The key plot twists are not entirely surprising, but are entertaining nonetheless, as is the film as a whole. Contraband delivers exactly what you’d expect from this genre – no more, no less – and that equates to a good night at the movies.
