Review of Contraband (2012) by Rob R — 08 Jan 2013

From his inauspicious beginnings as a model/rapper, Mark Wahlberg has certainly become one of Hollywood's savviest commodities.

He has shifted gears into producing (from shows such as the long-running "Entourage" and Martin Scorsese's "Boardwalk Empire"), to generating award-caliber performances with top-tier directors (David O. Russell's "I Heart Huckabees," and "The Fighter," Scorsese's "The Departed,"), to demonstrating a sly comedic edge ("Date Night," "The Other Guys").

All the while, he's been able to have fun flexing as an action hero is solid genre pictures, such as "The Italian Job," "Shooter," "The Perfect Storm," and now "Contraband.".

In it, he plays Chris Farrady, a former smuggler pulled in for "one last job" (is there any other kind?). He's since gone legit, settled into family life and is enjoying a clean slate until his screw-up brother-in-law runs afoul of some nasty dudes.

There's not a single scene that is original, but it's all performed with such lean, mean proficiency, it's an oft-told tale told well. And by the film's conclusion, you may be surprised to find yourself more emotionally invested than standard films of this heist genre.

"Contraband's" key is not only its characters, but its setting. Taking place in a transport tanker, the film takes its time to bring us into the setup of performing a task of such intricacy. We are given a band of grizzled-but-amiable rogues aboard the boat, an elaborate plan where every second matters under the eye of a crusty boat captain (J. K. Simmons), and a peek into the Byzantine layout of such ocean-going vessels and the opportunity for trafficking they hold.

"Contraband's" subplot on land is effective, but more pedestrian. Kate Beckinsale is completely wasted as Chris's worrisome wife, reduced to panicked screams and whimpers. She's terrorized by a tattooed thug played by Giovanni Ribisi, who is capable of stepping into parody when playing heavies on film.

Here, he is initially almost comical, complete with a thick Bayou accent, but he somehow grows more sinister as the film progresses and appears as though will not hesitate to bring on the pain and any given moment. Ben Foster, who plays Chris's best buddy and family protector while Chris is out at sea, is another solid character actor whose utterly believable as a reformed thug. And Wahlberg once again nails the soft-spoken/angry man that he has spoofed in the past, but it fits him like a broken-in Bosox cap.

Director Baltasar Kormákur refrains from making the proceedings too flashy, leaving it in the hands is his cast to provide the heavy lifting. He does stage some thrilling sequences, but seems equally involved in humanizing his characters. And Wahlberg, who also serves as producer, still has the moxie and the muscle to pull off both with style.