Contraband

Another one of Mark Wahlbergs action films. Which is probably one of his better ones. The plot is interesting and has not been done 1000 times and the acting is good from the whole cast. This is actually one of the better action movies I have seen lately. The story line is very simple and straight forward but if your a fan of action movies this is right up your alley.

This movie is about an ex smuggler(Wahlberg) who has a brother in law that got mixed up with some drug dealers. In order to save his brother in laws life he must go to panama and smuggle back millions of dollars in counterfeit bills.

This movie is definitely worth a watch or two. It is very simple but the entertainment factor is there.

If you've seen the trailer, you can already tell that Contraband really doesn't have anything new to offer as a film. It has a typical heist/revenge thriller plot with some thrills and good action sequences. However, Contraband manages to be a slightly better than your typical thriller.

Mark Wahlberg gives a really good performance and Giovanni Ribisi did a really great job as the films over-the-top villain. The film does a great job of getting down the gritty tone and gives the film a realistic feel to it. I also enjoyed how instead of being a straight out action flick, the film actually took time to develop what they had with the plot and show the whole set up of the heist.

For most of it's nearly 2 hour runtime, Contraband kept me entertained for the most part. It still suffers from it's expected flaws. The plot isn't exactly strong and is pretty convoluted and very predictable. I also didn't care for the way the film wrapped up.

Overall, there really isn't a whole lot about to say about Contraband, but I would highly recommend it to someone who is looking for a good rental. If you like Marky Mark, than it's worth a shot.

Contraband is a well-made action film with strong acting, good directing, and great cinematography that draws you into New Orleans, Panama, and their freight ship. Mark Walberg plays a man pulled back into his smuggling past to right the wrongs of his naive brother-in-law and protect his family.

Mark Walberg is excellent as the lead character. He is strong in the action scenes on his smuggling trip to Panama , and he is just as good in dramatic scenes calling his wife to help her back home. He is a strong protagonist who is likable and draws a lot of empathy as he tries to fight the bad guys and save his family.

Walberg is supported by a strong cast. Giovannis Ribisi does well as a dirty, corrupt smuggler who terrorizes his family, Ben Foster is excellent as Walberg's recovering addict and alcoholic ex-smuggling parter who struggles to do the right thing. And, Kate Beckinsale is great as Walberg's wife, who also must fight to protect her family.

The director does a great job of building intensity throughout the film. He brings the audience into the smuggling trade in a realistic and believable manner. And, the director effectively engages the audience in the drama and action at three locations simultaneously as the film builds to its resolution back in New Orleans.

Overall, the film is a strong action film. If you dismiss the standard plot and some lapses of reality, you'll enjoy the intense action, strong acting, and great scenery. Catch Contraband in the theaters to enjoy it on the big screen.

Just be careful about smuggling your own candy into the theater.

It was a really good movie ... I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The story gets progressively more complicated as the movie continues. Wahlberg does a great job filling the lead role and the bad guy's were good at their roles too.

Great action flick!

This was a pretty good heist thriller. I thought the story was unique (although I'm not sure just how feasible it would be) the location too, I haven't seen many movies aboard freighters in the Panama Canal before. The action scenes exciting, the cast more than decent and a pretty great ending, again not sure exactly how "that" all worked out but it was fun.

There isn't anything particularly stand out here though, and this is one of those "almost" movies that just falls short. I'm sure I won't remember anything about it a week from now but it was entertaining while I was watching. The cast is excellent, Mark Wahlberg is doing one of his standard roles -tough family guy but Ben Foster, Diego Luna, Giovanni Ribi play some great characters and really sink their teeth in. J.K. Simmons, Kate Beckinsale, & Lukas Haas also impressed.

The story follows Chris Farraday as a former smuggler who after going legit and settling into a stable life with his wife and sons finds himself back in the game when his brother in law botches a deal with a ruthless drug lord. In a bid to help save his life and settle the debt Chris finds himself making one last run, which sees him aboard a freighter to Panama where he has set up a counterfeiting deal. Nothing goes according to plan and Farraday faces vicious criminals, corrupt officials and trigger happy hit men in a bid to help his desperate brother in law and wife back home. 1/4/16