Contraband - Download Contraband Movie in HD, DVD, iPod, DivX Quality
"Reykjavik-Rotterdam" was a 2009 Icelandic crime thriller that never received a wide release in the U.S., apart from a few screenings at film festivals. The star of the film, Baltasar Kormákur, now serves as the director and producer of its American remake, "Contraband." On the basis of the end results, perhaps it isn't always a good idea to let someone intimately familiar with a concept have a hand at bringing it to the big screen. Click here to download Contraband movieThe audience is typically the first to notice how unoriginal a film is; the problem with "Contraband" is that the cast and crew noticed how routine, clichéd, and predictable it was long before we did, and because they were aware, they could not generate any interest in the material. This is one of those rare action films that feels oddly detached and elicits boredom rather than excitement.
Taking place in New Orleans, it tells the story of Chris Farraday (Mark Wahlberg), a former smuggler who has since gone legit, gotten married, and had children. During his smuggling days, he was considered the best of the best; he now has made a name for himself as the owner and operator of a security business. Unfortunately, his young brother-in-law Andy (Caleb Landry Jones) is trying his hand at smuggling. When he screws up a drug delivery, it incurs the wrath of local crime lord Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi) and sets off a chain reaction that directly implicates Chris' family. His wife, Kate (Kate Beckinsale), and two boys will receive a terrifying close call, namely Tim and his men breaking into their home, holding them at gunpoint, and threatening them before leaving. Perhaps this is the equivalent of, I don't know, a warning shot.
Chris is forced to fix the situation by once again becoming a smuggler and finishing the job Andy started. We were initially led to believe he was forced back into it, although as the film progresses, it's often suggested that he is in fact enjoying what he's doing. One scene has him telling Andy in plain English that he loves it, and we're challenged to determine whether or not he was being serious. That is, we're challenged until the final scene, at which point it becomes fairly obvious what his true feelings are. Click here to download Contraband I couldn't help but feel disturbed by this, for he's now a family man, and if there's anyone who doesn't deserve to be placed in harm's way, it would be his wife and innocent children. The choice between family and a life of crime is a murky moral dilemma, and it's pushed to the limits with the character of Tim, who has a child of his own – a daughter who looks no older than eight or nine.
Although he will increasingly seem at ease as a smuggler, Chris will repeatedly show concern for his wife and children, and will repeatedly call them throughout the film. He will even violently assault anyone who dares to threaten them in his presence. Kate and her children are placed under the protection of Chris' best friend, Sebastian (Ben Foster), who sucks on a lollipop during most of his early scenes. Simultaneously, Chris and a group of men become seamen on a container ship bound for Panama City, where Chris will use every resource he can to collect a huge amount of cash. He refuses to take part in drug trafficking, which is curious given how it's no more legal than what he is willing to do. Be that as it may, the captain of the ship (J.K. Simmons) has a serious beef with Chris – or, more precisely, Chris' father, who's now serving prison time.
Would it surprise you to learn that things don't go according to plan? I will not describe the setbacks in detail; let it suffice to say that it's just one thing after the other, as they tend to be in movies like this. As Chris finds himself pitted against a Panamanian crime boss (Diego Luna), a cantankerous sea captain, ruthless law enforcement, and time itself (or lack thereof), Kate will find herself in danger yet again. Chris will get wind of it, and naturally, it will drive him into an even greater panic. The entire last third of the film hinges on a plot twist so painfully predictable that it's almost an anticlimax. If you don't have even an idea of what will happen, you might be better off, for it means you haven't seen as many crime thrillers as I have and therefore aren't as familiar with their conventions.
Of course, a conventional film isn't bad by default. The issue here is that Kormákur seems rather indifferent about the material; apart from the technically competent but viscerally lacking action scenes, he regards the characters as little more than one-note typecasts, and thusly directs the actors as such. Ribisi in particular is surprisingly bad, Click here to Contraband downloadin large part because of an exaggerated accent that comes off as something off-center of a southern drawl. Wahlberg, while capable of expressing anger, shows little else in the way of emotional range. It's almost as if he was genuinely disinterested in the role and in the film in general. Indeed, "Contraband" gives us little reason to care about what's happening and why. I haven't seen the Icelandic film on which it's based, but it seems to me that certain films just don't work as remakes, regardless of what language it's in.
About the Author
"Reykjavik-Rotterdam" was a 2009 Icelandic crime thriller that never received a wide release in the U.S., apart from a few screenings at film festivals. The star of the film, Baltasar Kormákur, now serves as the director and producer of its American remake, "Contraband." On the basis of the end results, perhaps it isn't always a good idea to let someone intimately familiar with a concept have a hand at bringing it to the big screen. Click here to download Contraband movieThe audience is typically the first to notice how unoriginal a film is; the problem with "Contraband" is that the cast and crew noticed how routine, clichéd, and predictable it was long before we did, and because they were aware, they could not generate any interest in the material. This is one of those rare action films that feels oddly detached and elicits boredom rather than excitement.
Taking place in New Orleans, it tells the story of Chris Farraday (Mark Wahlberg), a former smuggler who has since gone legit, gotten married, and had children. During his smuggling days, he was considered the best of the best; he now has made a name for himself as the owner and operator of a security business. Unfortunately, his young brother-in-law Andy (Caleb Landry Jones) is trying his hand at smuggling. When he screws up a drug delivery, it incurs the wrath of local crime lord Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi) and sets off a chain reaction that directly implicates Chris' family. His wife, Kate (Kate Beckinsale), and two boys will receive a terrifying close call, namely Tim and his men breaking into their home, holding them at gunpoint, and threatening them before leaving. Perhaps this is the equivalent of, I don't know, a warning shot.
Chris is forced to fix the situation by once again becoming a smuggler and finishing the job Andy started. We were initially led to believe he was forced back into it, although as the film progresses, it's often suggested that he is in fact enjoying what he's doing. One scene has him telling Andy in plain English that he loves it, and we're challenged to determine whether or not he was being serious. That is, we're challenged until the final scene, at which point it becomes fairly obvious what his true feelings are. Click here to download Contraband I couldn't help but feel disturbed by this, for he's now a family man, and if there's anyone who doesn't deserve to be placed in harm's way, it would be his wife and innocent children. The choice between family and a life of crime is a murky moral dilemma, and it's pushed to the limits with the character of Tim, who has a child of his own – a daughter who looks no older than eight or nine.
Although he will increasingly seem at ease as a smuggler, Chris will repeatedly show concern for his wife and children, and will repeatedly call them throughout the film. He will even violently assault anyone who dares to threaten them in his presence. Kate and her children are placed under the protection of Chris' best friend, Sebastian (Ben Foster), who sucks on a lollipop during most of his early scenes. Simultaneously, Chris and a group of men become seamen on a container ship bound for Panama City, where Chris will use every resource he can to collect a huge amount of cash. He refuses to take part in drug trafficking, which is curious given how it's no more legal than what he is willing to do. Be that as it may, the captain of the ship (J.K. Simmons) has a serious beef with Chris – or, more precisely, Chris' father, who's now serving prison time.
Would it surprise you to learn that things don't go according to plan? I will not describe the setbacks in detail; let it suffice to say that it's just one thing after the other, as they tend to be in movies like this. As Chris finds himself pitted against a Panamanian crime boss (Diego Luna), a cantankerous sea captain, ruthless law enforcement, and time itself (or lack thereof), Kate will find herself in danger yet again. Chris will get wind of it, and naturally, it will drive him into an even greater panic. The entire last third of the film hinges on a plot twist so painfully predictable that it's almost an anticlimax. If you don't have even an idea of what will happen, you might be better off, for it means you haven't seen as many crime thrillers as I have and therefore aren't as familiar with their conventions.
Of course, a conventional film isn't bad by default. The issue here is that Kormákur seems rather indifferent about the material; apart from the technically competent but viscerally lacking action scenes, he regards the characters as little more than one-note typecasts, and thusly directs the actors as such. Ribisi in particular is surprisingly bad, Click here to Contraband downloadin large part because of an exaggerated accent that comes off as something off-center of a southern drawl. Wahlberg, while capable of expressing anger, shows little else in the way of emotional range. It's almost as if he was genuinely disinterested in the role and in the film in general. Indeed, "Contraband" gives us little reason to care about what's happening and why. I haven't seen the Icelandic film on which it's based, but it seems to me that certain films just don't work as remakes, regardless of what language it's in.
Rating: Not yet rated