Thoughts: I won't lie: I thoroughly enjoyed Contraband. I loved the way it followed the import of illegal goods from start to finish, even despite the whole "Hollywoodizing" of it- right down to the gun fights, car chases, double crosses and abundance of near-angelic conveniences.
Mark Wahlberg, Ben Foster, Kate Beckinsale, Giovanni Ribisi and a host of other familiar faces throw themselves into the mix with great aplomb- no awards nearby but none begged for or required. The film works as a pure slice of fun and suspense, with many sequences working purely on the strength of curiosity. Very much a case of "and how exactly are they gonna get out of THIS one?".
The direction is handheld gritty, and that's what you'd expect. In fact, the whole thing reminds of Michael Mann's 2006 cheese-fest Miami Vice, but with far less mumbling and far more coherence. There's really not much more I can say: I enjoyed the flick, and if you want a slice of popcorn entertainment that is genuinely interesting (despite the huge coincidence factor and occasional necessity to allow for lapsed logic), I can gladly recommend Contraband. It certainly wasn't as serious as I was expecting it to be.
4/5
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