Review of Contraband (2012) by Jy S — 18 Jul 2012

There is nothing new about Baltasar Kormakur's Contraband, but it has enough to moderately satisfy.Spanning a good 105 minutes, Contraband plays out partially like a heist flick, which works in its favor.

Aside from that, the villains are cliched, side characters lack sufficient background, and the smuggling crime itself isn't exactly edge of the seat thrilling.With the way the story goes, this isn't a film where the action comes first.

Yes, it has its share of violence; however, this is more of a crime thriller than an action adventure. As mentioned earlier, this works out for the better.Mark Wahlberg plays a confident master criminal with no problems.

Extraordinary? No. Good enough for a hero? Yes. Kate Beckinsale seems underused, but becomes a satisfaction to see in a film full of male criminals.Contraband isn't a must see in any way shape or form.

It is a watchable picture however.