Mark Wahlberg-led ‘Contraband’ can’t sneak shortcomings past viewers - Entertainment, Movies - Navy Times

Mark Wahlberg-led ‘Contraband’ can’t sneak shortcomings past viewers

Is it written in Mark Wahlberg’s contract that every movie he’s in must feature him hanging with the locals in a neighborhood bar? Since that’s how Contraband opens, the sense of déjà vu is hard to shake. In fact, it lingers through most of the movie, which centers on high-seas smuggling, double-crossing and far-fetched contrivances.

The best thing about the film, directed by Baltasar Kormákur, is its atmospheric locations — New Orleans and Panama — which help ground the story. But the “one last job” trope is a particularly tired one.

Wahlberg is in super-invincible mode, playing Chris, a former master smuggler turned family man. He installs burglar alarm systems now that he’s married to Kate (Kate Beckinsale) and has two interchangeably adorable boys.

The movie’s worst offender, in every sense, is Giovanni Ribisi, ridiculously mannered as Tim, a mega-tattooed bad guy. His odd, high voice is like nails on a chalkboard. Though his ferocity is meant to come off as unhinged and terrifying, it registers mostly as annoying. There’s nothing all that new in his poseur-psycho repertoire.

If it weren’t for his foolish twerp of a brother-in-law Andy (Caleb Jones), Chris’ life of non-crime would be one of blue-collar bliss. But Chris must help save Andy, who botched a job running drugs for Tim. Andy offers to leave town, which seems like the smartest idea the clueless punk ever came up with. But family ties run deep. And if he did bolt there wouldn’t be a movie.

Chris steps in to pull one last cargo-smuggling job to get the creeps off Andy’s back. He and buddy Sebastian (Ben Foster) hatch a plan for Chris to travel to Panama to buy counterfeit bills. Chris boards the ship as a worker and enlists some cronies to help him hide the phony loot on the ship.

The vessel docks briefly and Chris, Andy and Danny (Lukas Haas) head for the seediest part of town to grab the faux cash. The ship is supposed to take off in “minutes,” but the guys must inspect the bills in one place, then go find better ones in a massive compound belonging to Gonzalo (Diego Luna), a gang boss. But getting the phony money gets more complicated as Gonzalo forces the guys to assist him in an armored-car takedown.

The formulaic story and far-fetched moments are offset by visual flourishes amid a jittery handheld camera style. But the dark palette, meant to be gritty, mostly just makes the players look sleep-deprived.

Contraband has a few moments of tension, but it adheres to a predictable heist formula hardly worth trafficking in.