Despite being a typical and highly predictable alpha-male action hero flick, Contraband is a tense crime film that doesn't ask too much emotionally of its star. Now although every twist and turn is noticeably coming scenes in advance, the acting is actually on par and in large part to so some perfectly casted roles. As always, J.K. Simmons and Ben Foster deliver on point and pitch perfect performances. Even Giovanni Ribisi brings his A game as gritty criminal close to the bottom of the food chain. Now midway through this movie, I'll admit I was a little turned off by just how easy it was to foresee the near future, but some solid action scenes and particularly the heist scenes kept my interest peaked and ended up making me enjoy the film much more than I had anticipated I would. To put it simply, Contraband is for anyone who likes a good action-caper and quite enjoyable if you can excuse its predictability. I'd give it a C+.
Review of Contraband
