Contraband

Theatrical Release Date: 2012 01 13 (USA)

UPC: 025192104381

Studio: Universal Studios

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Violence, Profanity, Drug Content]

Summary: A former smuggler from New Orleans faces ruthless drug lords, vicious criminals, corrupt officials, and trigger-happy hit men after getting back into the business to help his brother-in-law settle a deadly debt. When it came to transporting illicit goods under treacherous circumstances, Chris Farraday (Mark Wahlberg) used to be the best in the business. But all of that changed when he chose to give up his life of crime to start a family with Kate (Kate Beckinsale). Chris learns that leaving his past behind is easier said than done, however, after Kate's brother Andy (Caleb Landry Jones) goes to work for ferocious drug lord Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi), and drops the ball on a major deal. Now, in order to set things right, Chris must smuggle millions of dollars in counterfeit bills from Panama into the United States. And if anything goes wrong, Tim will target his entire family for death. With his best friend Sebastian (Ben Foster) by his side and a crackerjack crew along for the ride, Chris heads to Panama for one last job. Later, with time running out and a treacherous maze of desperate criminals to navigate, the job gets complicated, and Chris must race to reach his family before Tim gets to them first. Lukas Haas, Diego Luna, and J.K. Simmons co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Category: Action

Features: Deleted Scenes
Under The Radar: The Making of Contraband
Reality Factor: The Stunts and Action of Contraband
Feature Commentary with Director/Producer Baltasar Korm?kur and Producer Evan Hayes

Contraband

Format: DVD

Release Date: 04/24/2012

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Cinemascope

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 110 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,Spanish,French

Subtitles: English,Spanish,French

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- Contraband
1. Scene 1 [8:26]
2. Scene 2 [6:19]
3. Scene 3 [4:26]
4. Scene 4 [5:39]
5. Scene 5 [4:20]
6. Scene 6 [5:26]
7. Scene 7 [4:16]
8. Scene 8 [6:40]
9. Scene 9 [4:49]
10. Scene 10 [1:51]
11. Scene 11 [7:37]
12. Scene 12 [5:35]
13. Scene 13 [4:32]
14. Scene 14 [6:10]
15. Scene 15 [5:01]
16. Scene 16 [4:16]
17. Scene 17 [4:41]
18. Scene 18 [5:10]
19. Scene 19 [3:34]
20. Scene 20 [5:30]

Jason Buchanan

Prolific Icelandic actor/director Baltasar Korm?kur injects some fresh energy into a well-worn genre trope in Contraband, a big-scale Hollywood remake of the popular 2008 thriller Reykjavik-Rotterdam -- which Korm?kur originally produced and starred in. Though its clich?d conceit of a former criminal battling betrayal and impossible odds while resorting to his old ways for "one last job" may perhaps be the most overused device in the history of crime thrillers, assured direction, a game ensemble cast, and a lean script punctuated by some clever twists elevate Contraband just enough to make it a brisk, pulpy diversion in a moviegoing season generally dismissed as the multiplex dumping grounds. When it came to transporting illicit goods under treacherous circumstances, Chris Farraday (Mark Wahlberg) used to be the best in the business. But all of that changed when he chose to give up his life of crime to start a family with his wife Kate (Kate Beckinsale). Chris learns that leaving his past behind is easier said than done, however, after Kate's brother Andy (Caleb Landry Jones) goes to work for ferocious drug lord Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi) and drops the ball on a major deal. Now, in order to set things right, Chris must smuggle millions of dollars in counterfeit bills from Panama into the United States. And if anything goes wrong, Tim will target his entire family for death. With the help of his best friend Sebastian (Ben Foster) and a crackerjack crew, Chris heads to Panama for one last job. Later, with time running out and a treacherous maze of desperate criminals to navigate, the job gets more complicated, and Chris must race to reach his family before Tim gets to them first. No one is likely to mistake Contraband for a masterpiece of crime cinema, but taken as a lean and efficient crowd-pleaser, it's difficult to deny that Korm?kur's remake delivers on virtually all fronts. By transplanting the setting from the inner city to a creaking cargo ship, the film effectively sidesteps the urban trappings that have become so inherent to this type of story. Working from an original screenplay by Arnaldur Indrioason and ?skar J?nasson, writer Aaron Guzikowski maintains a high level of tension by frequently cutting back to New Orleans to highlight the growing threat to Kate and her two children as Chris races to prevent the situation from spinning out of control. Meanwhile, surprising twists in both New Orleans and Panama ensure we remain riveted to the action, and there are also some unexpected moments of levity that help to smooth over some of the screenplay's rougher edges. As a desperate family man stuck in dire straits, Wahlberg makes Chris Farraday a likable character, and Guzikowski doesn't cut any corners in showing us just why he earned such a legendary reputation as a smuggler. Meanwhile, Ribisi once again proves that the word "subtlety" simply isn't in his vocabulary as he portrays the kind of criminal scum whose concept of "playing" includes tormenting a defenseless mother and her two frightened children, and Foster showcases why he's earned his reputation as a go-to supporting player. Likewise, screen vets J.K. Simmons and Lukas Haas help to provide much of the comic relief as the hard-nosed captain and nervous criminal accomplice, respectively. With virtually all of the elements falling into place so effectively, perhaps the only true misstep in Contraband is Korm?kur's decision to go hyperstylized during a crucial action sequence in Panama. Though it's difficult to deny a director the occasional indulgence -- especially when it's so brief and inconsequential to the main story -- the scene just draws too much attention to itself and feels a bit out of place as a result. Save for that one forgivable nitpick, however, Contraband is the ideal antidote to the stodgy, awards-season seriousness that dominates January movie screens. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Tim Bevan  Producer 
Eric Fellner  Producer 
Mark Wahlberg  Producer 
Liza Chasin  Executive Producer 
Baltasar Kormákur  Director 
Baltasar Kormákur  Producer 
Bill Johnson  Executive Producer 
Stephen Levinson  Producer 
Clinton Shorter  Composer (Music Score) 
Aaron Guzikowski  Screenwriter 
Evan Hayes  Executive Producer 
Mark Wahlberg  Actor 
Kate Beckinsale  Actor 
Ben Foster  Actor 
Giovanni Ribisi  Actor 
Lukas Haas  Actor 
Caleb Landry Jones  Actor 
Diego Luna  Actor 
J.K. Simmons  Actor 
Robert Wahlberg  Actor 
Jason Mitchell  Actor 
Paul LeBlanc  Actor 
Amber Gaiennie  Actor 
Kent Jude Bernard  Actor 
David O'Hara  Actor 
Anthony Coleman  Actor 
Jackson Beals  Actor 
Jacqueline Fleming  Actor 
Connor Hill  Actor 
Bryce McDaniel  Actor 
John Wilmot  Actor 
Dane Rhodes  Actor 
Juliette Marie Enright  Actor 
William Lucking  Actor 
Ritchie Montgomery  Actor 
Victor Hernández  Actor 
Shannon Maris  Actor 
J. Omar Castro  Actor 
Michael L. Nesbitt  Actor 
Jack Landry  Actor 
Kevin "Lucky" Johnson  Actor 
Olafur Darri Olafsson  Actor 
Carlos Compean  Actor 
Kirk Bovill  Actor 
Rose Bianco  Actor 
Brian Nguyen  Actor 
Roland Ruiz  Actor 
Ian Casselberry  Actor 
Victor Lopez  Actor 
Michael J. Taylor  Actor 
John Russ Broussard  Actor 
Mike Broussard, Jr.  Actor 
Arthur Thomas  Actor 
Andrew Autin  Actor 
Beau St. Pierre  Actor 
Ashton McGee  Actor 
Telissa Long  Actor 
Norman E. Landeche IV  Actor 
Allan Maxwell  Actor 
Laura Bergeron-Iglesias  Actor 
Eddie Fiola  Actor 
Max Daniels  Actor 
Joshua Teixidor  Actor 
Randy Austin  Actor 
Anthony Frederick  Actor 
Michael Beasley  Actor 
Turner Crumbley  Actor 
Lance E. Nichols  Actor 
Anthony Ace Thomas  Actor 
Eric Weinstein  Actor 
Cecil M. Brown  Actor 

Country: USA