RBR: Contraband

If you're like me, you probably had the same reaction upon seeing the ads for Contraband last January - how many times are we going to do the 'reformed criminal goes back for one last score' story? And while it's true that this film treads on familiar territory, it also does so in a competent and entertaining way. This particular story focuses on Mark Wahlberg playing a skilled smuggler who has gone clean but gets called back in for a final job after his pathetic brother-in-law finds himself in debt to a sleazy, hyperkinetic drug dealer (played naturally by Giovanni Ribisi). The entire cast is solid here as there is also Ben Foster playing Wahlberg's friend, Kate Beckinsale as Wahlberg's wife, and the always enjoyable J.K. Simmons as the boat captain who thinks he's a step ahead of Wahlberg but is typically two steps behind. The film does a nice job of keeping the action moving and providing enough twists in the story to avoid becoming overly critical. If I had a complaint it's that I feel they played it safe and went with an Ocean's 11 style ending where everything not only works out, but works out very well for the good guys and lousy for the bad guys. There were opportunities in this story for them to take some more chances with the film's outcome, but they opted not to pull the trigger. So while it failed to become something special, it can still be considered quality entertainment. If you had skipped this last winter because it was too cold to go to the movies, rectify this situation now and give it a chance as a rental Rental: ****