6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 3.2 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Chris Farraday long ago abandoned his life of crime, but after his brother-in-law botches a drug deal, Chris is forced back into running contraband. Things quickly fall apart, and Chris must use his skills to navigate a treacherous criminal network of brutal drug lords, cops, and hit men before his wife and sons become their target.
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Kate Beckinsale, Ben Foster, Giovanni Ribisi, Lukas HaasAction | 100% |
Thriller | 77% |
Crime | 55% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS 5.1
Spanish: DTS 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Bonus View (PiP)
BD-Live
D-Box
Mobile features
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Take a moment and spend some time with Contraband's theatrical trailer. Finished? Congratulations, you've just watched Contraband in its entirety, with almost all of its snubnosed twists, lockjawed turns and nonsensical genre jimmying intact. You also just saved yourself two hours and the cost of a rental (or more, depending on how pickable your pocket is these days). "But Ken, ol' buddy," you might say. "I like Big Dumb Fun. I'm a sucker for this kinda flick. It's even got Mark Wahlberg and Giovanni Ribisi, and I loooove me some Marky Mark and Cory Kupkus. This movie's made for me." And I'm sure there are some of you out there, God love ya, with the ability to switch off your brain, kick back with a bowl of Jiffy Pop, and appreciate a big, dumb genre jock like Contraband for everything it has to offer, hackneyed screenplay, mindless dialogue, distended performances and all. Just don't be surprised if you start asking yourself how a movie made for you could go so terribly, terribly wrong. Wahlberg's latest is a mess, from start to finish, beat to beatdown, script to screen. How bad is it? Chances are those who mount a defense will include some variation of the modern moviegoer's go-to rebuttal: "oh come on, it's not that bad."
"I've got to try and fix this. Trust me, I know what I'm doing."
Battered primaries, abusive shadows, and blunt-force contrast. Yep, it's another dark, gritty actioner shot to make audiences say, "wait, what's going on over there?" Even so, Universal's 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation strikes its intended target with pinpoint precision. Detail is exceedingly revealing, at least once you get past the fact that Kormákur and DP Barry Ackroyd's stark shadows devour anything and everything they touch. Scars, pores, stubble and any other facial feature and fine texture that leaps into the equally stark light is captured with razor sharp clarity, edge definition is crisp and exacting (with only an occasional hint of high-noon haloing), and delineation is non-existent, which is a good thing in this case as that's part of the aesthetic Kormákur and Ackroyd are aiming for. Color accuracy and skintone saturation fall in perfect line with their vision as well, and there isn't anything about the subsequent encode that wavers, deviates or departs from that vision. Grain, heavy and distinct, is intact; artifacting, banding and aliasing are nowhere to be found; and the crush that dominates the darkness, though certainly distracting, shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. In short, this is Contraband, pure and unaltered.
Contraband's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is determined to do one thing: kick your teeth in. Dialogue gets overrun now and again, but rarely at crucial points in the film. Voices are largely clear and intelligible throughout (insofar as Kormákur's frenetic sound design allows), and prioritization is more than impressive considering the chaos that erupts during action sequences. Gunfire, explosions, car crashes and intense chases issue a call to arms to the LFE channel and rear speakers, a call each one is more than happy to answer. Low-end thooms and booms command attention, shipping crates grumble and groan under the strain of their own weight, engines roar with conviction, and automatic weapons punctuate the proceedings with authority. And while the soundfield is nothing short of frenzied and furious, directional effects will turn heads, enviornmental ambience will draw in anyone in the room, and pans hurtle from speaker to speaker with such ferocity that action junkies will be left with a wicked smile on their faces. Yes, it all favors brash bombast over subtle nuance, but so does Contraband. Cinephiles will probably scoff at the heavy handedness of it all, but fans will be thrilled with every sinewy salvo.
Here we go again. Bad film, great AV presentation. While Contraband will certainly find its way into its fans' hands (as camp-splitting actioners so easily do), it could have been much, much better. Somewhere, lurking below the surface, there's a Tony Scott film I probably would have responded to positively. But in the hands of director Baltasar Kormákur and screenwriter Aaron Guzikowski, it's everything you'd expect and everything it shouldn't be. Its only saving grace? A top notch Blu-ray release, complete with a precise and proficient video transfer, a neighbor-rousing DTS-HD Master Audio track, and a serviceable selection of special features. I'd personally recommend avoiding Contraband, but if curiosity compels you or a deep love of Mark Walhberg drives you to take the plunge, Universal's AV presentation will, if nothing else, serve as a reward.
Bastille Day
2016
2015
2012
Extended Cut
2013
Extreme Cut
2009
2010
Extended Edition
2011
2014
2012
2013
Unrated Cut
2012
1995
2012
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2013
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1988
2005
The Complete Final Season
2010