Journal Entry for Tuesday, Jan 24th

Movie Review – Contraband Maybe it’s just the time of year, but there seems to be a lot more films worth seeing lately. The thing is that we both like Mark Wahlberg, and even though some of the reviews we read were just so-so, we decided to go see this movie anyway.

RELEASE: 2012; GENERE: Mystery, Suspense, Action, Adventure; RUN-TIME: 1 hr, 49 mins; RATED: R; STARRING: Mark Wahlberg, Caleb Landry Jones, Giovanni Ribisi, Ben Foster; DIRECTED BY: Baltasar Kormákur;

REVIEW: The movie is based on a 2010 film from Iceland that bore the title, Reykjavik-Rotterdam. In spite of a worn out plot that the director tries to spruce up by adding some unsuspecting twists of betrayal, we wern not too impressed. I must admit that we were expecting a little more “action”. However, in spite of being somewhat contrived and predictable, we still felt that it provide an enjoyable hour and a half of escapism, which is basically why we go to the movies in the first place. We give it a weak 3-Stars.

SYNOPSIS: The storyline of this movie is one that has been repeated often. Chris Farraday, played by Mark Wahlberg, who turned straight after a long life of crime, is brought back into his old life of crime after his brother-in-law Andy, played by Caleb Landry Jones, botches a drug deal for a ruthless boss played by Giovanni Ribisi. Due to family ties and to settle Andy’s debt, Chris is forced back into doing what he did best - running contraband. He quickly assembles a crew with the help of his best friend, Sebastian, played by Ben Foster, for a smuggling run to Panama to bring back millions in counterfeit bills. Things quickly fall apart and with only hours to reach the cash, Chris must use his previous skills to navigate a treacherous criminal network of brutal drug lords, cops and hit men before his wife Kate, played by Kate Beckinsale, and sons get killed.