Contraband — R

By David Adams

The story

“I can't believe he did that. I told him to stay away from those guys,” says Chris Farraday (Mark Wahlberg). “He's my little brother,” says wife Kate (Kate Beckinsale). “I know. I'll take care of it,” says Chris. So, like many a movie gunslinger and gangster before him, Chris is reluctantly drawn back into criminality — smuggling, in this case — by strong family loyalties. If he and his blue-collar gang can bring a cache of counterfeit bills from Panama City to New Orleans, he can pay off drug dealer Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi) and get young brother-in-law Andy (Caleb Landry Jones) off the hook.

Is an hour in Panama City enough time to bring the counterfeit bills to the ship? Is best friend/recovering alcoholic Sebastian (Ben Foster) reliable? Is Kate safe from psychotic bad-guy Tim? “Contraband” has the answers.

The actors

Producer/star Mark Wahlberg is convincing as 40-something Chris Farraday, formerly outside the law, who's going straight to protect his wife and sons. Convict father (William Lucking) — also a smuggler — approves of his son's legitimate home-security business but understands family loyalties. “You gotta do what you gotta do,” he says. (I bet you've heard that line before.) Chris is quick and smart. He's “a world-class smuggler,” says scary drug dealer Tim, well played by Giovanni Ribisi. Ben Foster is best friend Sebastian Abney, whom Chris leaves in New Orleans to protect Kate and their two sons from Tim, but Sebastian has issues — alcohol, mainly — and things fall apart. Kate Beckinsale is Kate, whose life is horribly threatened.

Others in the ensemble cast include Caleb Landry Jones as feckless brother-in-law Andy, Lucas Haas as family-man Danny, J.K. Simmons as ship captain Camp, and Diego Luna as Panama City gangster Gonzalo.

Other comments

“Contraband” is a fast moving action thriller, with a gritty look and complex plot. Baltasar Kormakur directs. In the original Icelandic film (“Raykjavik-Rotterdam”), written by Arnaldur Indridason and Oskar Jonasson, Kormakur had Wahlberg's role. Aaron Guzikowski adapted the script for “Contraband.” Despite its sunny, warm-weather locations — New Orleans and Panama City — the film is dark and noir-ish, claustrophobic in the cramped crew quarters of the container ship, with an ending that's defiantly non-noir-ish. The plot is complex, but director Kormakur keeps things moving, so there's no time to parse it. Discuss plot holes on the way home.

“Contraband” rates an R for violence, pervasive language and drug use. It runs 110 minutes. Diverting adult entertainment. Not high filmic art but there's a nifty art joke at the end.

Final words

Fast moving “Contraband,”

Smuggling, blue-collar friends,

Gritty, complex plot,

Noir-ish, all but the end.