Contraband review

It's not the most original heist-style thriller to grace the big screen, but in a period of big screen mediocrity it hits the spot in a way only some stylised action thrills can.

The hype…
Mark Wahlberg, Ben Foster and Giovanni Ribisi head the talented cast of Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur's gritty new heist/smuggling thriller. But how epic will it be?

The story…
Former smuggler John Bryce (Mark Wahlberg) has given up his trafficking trade to settle down with his wife Kate (Kate Beckinsale) and two young children. But when her brother-in-law Andy (Caleb Landry Jones) gets on the wrong side of psychotic drug dealer Riggs (Giovanni Ribisi), he is forced to make one last run to pay off his debts.

Teaming up with old friend Sebastian (Ben Foster) he hatches a plan to smuggle a shedload of fake banknotes from Panama. But the times, they are a-changing, and an unreliable captain, crazy Panamanian gangsters and a few surprises could yet throw a spanner in the works - leaving John's family in grave danger.

The breakdown…
It's a tried and tested format in which an old hand is dragged back in to one last heist. But sometimes going back to what we know and love isn't such a bad idea.

The heist setup is ably executed, as the family man reluctantly rides to the rescue again. And as he takes each step toward securing the fate of his loved ones, another canny twist crops up to add spice to the tale.

The direction errs towards the dark and gritty, which is pretty much exactly where it should be. Some attempts at comedy fall a little flat, and gave us a sense of a somewhat uneven tome, but on the whole the aesthetic stuck to the ball-grabbing drama the script strives to deliver.

As ever, Wahlberg is likely to be under appreciated in a role that ties the whole piece together. He's expert at playing the likeable family man, and providing the straight role for more energetic characters like the ever-eccentric Giovanni Ribisi to explode on screen: and explode he does.

Ben Foster is equally impressive as Sebastian. As he plans the heist and watches out for Bryce's family back home, you never quite know what he's up to. It's a skill Foster has honed in many a role, and it's used to good effect here.

The action sequences are as well deployed as the film's twists and turns. Just when you think that John's desperate journey will hinge on one weak link, another event crops up and blasts a hole in his plot.

A particularly mental shootout in Panama is case in point. On one hand, you could argue that it's a totally unnecessary piece of showboating, on the other, a gut-busting reminder that anything can happen on these dangerous runs - and it usually does.

The whole film dangles on this kind of balance. It's easy to see it as a somewhat familiar trawl down the heist movie format. But it's just as easy to go with the high energy format that's executed with skill and no small amount of flair. And it's much more fun to do that.

The verdict…
Mark Wahlberg's textbook turn as the family man dragged into one last job ties together a well-made, exciting thriller that packs a punch thanks to some quality action and another some clever performances from Ben Foster and Giovanni Ribisi.

Rating: 4/5

'Contraband' is due to be released in the UK on 16 March 2012. Certificate: 15.