Online Only: Typical heist film smuggles in entertainment

By Farrah Madanay     1/25/12 6:00pm

In a recent Piers Morgan interview, Mark Wahlberg (The Fighter) surprised audiences with his outspoken religious piety.

"I definitely go to church everyday," he said.

In Contraband, though Wahlberg's character, Chris Farraday, doesn't express any interest in church, his steadfast faith in himself and love for his family are constant themes throughout the film. Though the movie is marred by cliches and all-too-familiar plot elements, Wahlberg has always excelled in action dramas, and Contraband is no different.

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When Chris' kid brother-in-law, Andy (Caleb Landry Jones, X-Men: First Class), fails to smuggle $7,000 of cocaine to his boss, Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi, Avatar), Andy's debt falls on Chris' shoulders. Chris, who was once the "great Houdini" of the underground international smuggling world, traded in that life long ago for his own private business and a family. Chris now would rather spend time watching his sons' soccer games with his beautiful wife, Kate (Kate Beckinsale, Everybody's Fine), but unfortunately, the botched drug deal won't be forgotten. Chris, with the help of his best friend Sebastian (Ben Foster, Rampart), devises a plan to smuggle millions of counterfeit bills from Panama in order to settle Andy's debt with Briggs. While Sebastian remains in New Orleans, Chris assembles a "B" team of shipmates to aid him in his final run of contraband from Panama City back to the States. Retrieving the bills is, of course, far more difficult than Chris anticipates. His obstacles vary from the ship's suspicious, yet equally corrupt, captain, to his inadvertent involvement in an armored car takedown.

Though poised when it comes to the task of smuggling, Chris' true emotional stability is tested by the danger his family faces back at home. While Chris is at sea, Kate must deal with the volatile Briggs and the slippery Sebastian.

Icelandic director Baltasar Kormakur (Inhale) directs his first Hollywood movie with Contraband. Kormakur, however, is no novice to the silver screen; he played Wahlberg's role as the lead actor in the original 2008 Icelandic version, Reykjavik-Rotterdam. Kormakur successfully creates a fast-paced thriller, albeit with too many "close call" scenes for one plot. Regardless, where Kormakur excels as a director is in his close-ups and cut-in shots. Kormakur heightens the drama and seriousness of the matter at hand when he cuts to a close-up of a character's face and sits for an almost uncomfortable amount of time before cutting away. These shots offer emotional insight beyond the external tears, tattoos and shiners of the various characters.

The Contraband soundtrack is peculiar in its compilation. Film composer Clinton Shorter mainly keeps with tradition and offers a run-of-the-mill score of instrumental pieces that help develop the onscreen action. The peculiarity comes from the four lyrical songs embedded in the movie. They disengage the viewer from the story because their upbeat rhythms don't complement the earnestness of the characters or help develop the tone of the ensuing scene.

The end of Contraband isn't very contiguous with the premise of the heist or the attempted moral representation of Chris. Additionally, much like the rest of the movie, the end is too contrived and cliched.

Because of a weak plot, the film's entertainment is largely a product of the acting. Wahlberg has made a name for himself as one of America's ultimate tough guys, and though he plays a family man, he still hasn't outgrown the tough guy image. Foster impresses with his portrayal of a man constantly tortured by guilt, a guilt only compounded by his many vices. Ribisi tries on a Louisiana accent in his villain role and captures the character of the brainless thug well. Though Contraband is no award-winning film, it manages to engage the audience with ingenious heist techniques, fast-paced action scenes and decent acting.

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