CONTRABAND
JANUARY 13, 2012
The music will grab the viewer instantly while setting the mood for the film. Every time a song appears it completes the scene, letting the score music work its magic within the context of the story.
The storyline has strength; an ex well-known smuggler, Chris Farraday (Mark Wahlberg ), has changed his life and is now installing security alarms and living happily with his wife and their young boys. Kate Farraday (Kate Beckinsale ) has full knowledge of the past life that Chris led. She has brought stability to his life and they live a very open existence together.
Kate's young brother, Andy (Caleb Landry Jones ), however, has followed in his brother-in-law's footsteps, smuggling just about anything through the shipyards of New Orleans. While smuggling contraband, the ship gets boarded by the authorities, forcing him to ditch the bag in the ocean. He is now in debt to his boss, Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi ), who is now insisting on repayment. To make his point clear, Briggs smashes his truck into Andy and his friend while they sit in a car. When Kate and Chris arrive at the hospital and see the mess Andy has gotten himself into, Chris knows there is only one way out for him.
Chris approaches Andy's boss trying to find a solution to the problem of the money due. Briggs is not interested in a settlement of any kind, he just wants to be repaid for his loss. Chris walks away, unsure what his next move will be, but knows that until the debt is paid there is a bounty on Andy's head. If anything happens to Andy, the debt reverts to Kate and her family, opening them up to attacks until the restitution is paid. Now it is up to Chris to put the wheels in motion, forming a team that can triple the payload so he can square up Andy's debt. What he is unaware of is that things have been put in place to not just get a substantial financial gain, but to force his hand in doing the one thing he refused to get involved with: drug smuggling.
The big question is who has put these other wheels in motion, what is the motive and how close the connection is to Chris' family. The movie has pace, allowing each scene to push the storyline along at rapid speed. Captain Camp (J.K. Simmons ) has dealt with Chris in the past and is aware of what he is capable of doing. He quickly demotes him to the clean up crew, as this seems to be the best way to keep him under his thumb while distancing him from any possibility of smuggling contraband on or off the ship. Chris has, however, compiled a great crew that keeps the Captain isolated from their true goal of converting a small amount of money into a lucrative payoff.
Things that are happening back home on land put the plan into danger and forces the crew to take serious steps into unplanned adventures. The original plan goes south at breakneck speed, forcing everyone to deviate while Chris contrives a new scheme. The silent partners who have their own agenda are soon discovered, and Chris is compelled to save his wife and family.
There are mysteries in place, but if the viewer does not get sucked into the established relationships and looks beyond what the writers force feed them, it will be clear who the bad guys really are. Overall, this is a great flick that has everything one would expect from a Mark Wahlberg choice. He chooses films that incorporate family, suspense and action with stories that are well written. Rarely do any of his character choices talk down to the audience, giving everyone attending the courtesy of their intelligence.
RUSTY
1/31/11