Mark Wahlberg + Ben Foster + New Orleans = Contraband.
If you missed this the first time around, but caught Wahlberg's ode to Boston, Ted, you might want to give it a look. Giovanni Ribisi was wicked creepy as the guy who wanted to buy Ted, and he's Wahlberg's villain in Contraband as well. Here, he plays Tim Briggs, a creepy drug runner operating out of Nola (that's how we Southern-hearted refer to New Orleans), whose latest shipment ends at the bottom of the ocean. Chris Farraday (Mark Wahlberg) may have left the life behind, started a company, making an honest living, but he puts family first. He then takes it upon himself to help his brother-in-law Andy set things right. The only way to do it: join the crew of a cargo ship and run contraband. He has two weeks to raise $700K, and honest work just won't cut it. How he goes about getting and transporting the goods is complicated and I don't want to go into details here. While Farraday is away, Briggs amps up the pressure, making threats to his family and causing Chris to ask his best friend Sebastian (Ben Foster) to look after his wife and kids. Sebastian, of course, has his own agenda.
A heist film with family values? Perfect, let's cast Mark Wahlberg. There's no real doubt that Wahlberg is his totally watchable self, but as ever, it's Ben Foster that's the one to watch. Foster has a knack for making his roles more interesting than his costars'. He's a crucible of intensity, riveting and fun to watch. He doesn't miss a beat, and he manages to be frightening in a way that Ribisi can't quite pull off. Beckinsale is almost unrecognizable as her opposite: a blonde American. I always enjoy seeing J.K. Simmons pop up in a movie or TV show; most recently he cameo-ed as Bradley Cooper's father in The Words. He gets some great lines in his projects. Hell, he probably took the role so he could say, "Don't piss me off more, or you'll be flippin shit burgers down at McDonald's faster than you can say 'minimum wage.'"
If you missed this the first time around, but caught Wahlberg's ode to Boston, Ted, you might want to give it a look. Giovanni Ribisi was wicked creepy as the guy who wanted to buy Ted, and he's Wahlberg's villain in Contraband as well. Here, he plays Tim Briggs, a creepy drug runner operating out of Nola (that's how we Southern-hearted refer to New Orleans), whose latest shipment ends at the bottom of the ocean. Chris Farraday (Mark Wahlberg) may have left the life behind, started a company, making an honest living, but he puts family first. He then takes it upon himself to help his brother-in-law Andy set things right. The only way to do it: join the crew of a cargo ship and run contraband. He has two weeks to raise $700K, and honest work just won't cut it. How he goes about getting and transporting the goods is complicated and I don't want to go into details here. While Farraday is away, Briggs amps up the pressure, making threats to his family and causing Chris to ask his best friend Sebastian (Ben Foster) to look after his wife and kids. Sebastian, of course, has his own agenda.
A heist film with family values? Perfect, let's cast Mark Wahlberg. There's no real doubt that Wahlberg is his totally watchable self, but as ever, it's Ben Foster that's the one to watch. Foster has a knack for making his roles more interesting than his costars'. He's a crucible of intensity, riveting and fun to watch. He doesn't miss a beat, and he manages to be frightening in a way that Ribisi can't quite pull off. Beckinsale is almost unrecognizable as her opposite: a blonde American. I always enjoy seeing J.K. Simmons pop up in a movie or TV show; most recently he cameo-ed as Bradley Cooper's father in The Words. He gets some great lines in his projects. Hell, he probably took the role so he could say, "Don't piss me off more, or you'll be flippin shit burgers down at McDonald's faster than you can say 'minimum wage.'"
This is director Baltasar Kormákur's first major American film, which is what gives it the unique pace, and I imagine, the reason for the complexity of the plot at sea. The Nordic director - born in Iceland, of half Spanish descent - is famous in Europe, but relatively unknown here in the US. In any case, Contraband is a pretty good, if mostly forgettable, action-heist. Pop some popcorn and be entertained for a couple hours.
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