Contraband is an underrated movie. The performances are intense and well-acted, the film has good directing and the movie plot is decent. They went with a visually dark tone from start to finish which supports the story line. If you like crime thrillers, i recommend this. Maybe you have already seen this flick, maybe you haven't, but this is one of those movies that flew under the radar. Contraband is a must-watch. The only problem i have with this film is a very brief scene that features a wolf in a cage. As an animal lover, things like that bother me, but i presume everything is fine and that the animal is from a conservation animal place because they won't be able to use wild animals that literally live in the wild.

This was a pretty good heist thriller. I thought the story was unique (although I'm not sure just how feasible it would be) the location too, I haven't seen many movies aboard freighters in the Panama Canal before. The action scenes exciting, the cast more than decent and a pretty great ending, again not sure exactly how "that" all worked out but it was fun.There isn't anything particularly stand out here though, and this is one of those "almost" movies that just falls short. I'm sure I won't remember anything about it a week from now but it was entertaining while I was watching. The cast is excellent, Mark Wahlberg is doing one of his standard roles -tough family guy but Ben Foster, Diego Luna, Giovanni Ribi play some great characters and really sink their teeth in. J.K. Simmons, Kate Beckinsale, & Lukas Haas also impressed.The story follows Chris Farraday as a former smuggler who after going legit and settling into a stable life with his wife and sons finds himself back in the game when his brother in law botches a deal with a ruthless drug lord. In a bid to help save his life and settle the debt Chris finds himself making one last run, which sees him aboard a freighter to Panama where he has set up a counterfeiting deal. Nothing goes according to plan and Farraday faces vicious criminals, corrupt officials and trigger happy hit men in a bid to help his desperate brother in law and wife back home. 1/4/16

(62%) An entertaining crime B-movie that marks a small improvement over the usual multiplex filler you always seem to find at the first quarter of the year. The cast is quite strong with the always decent Mark Wahlberg leading the way, and with the likes of Ben Foster, Kate Beckinsale, J.K Simmons and show stealer Giovanni Ribisi all forming a respectable package. The pacing is pretty decent; although this is more of a thriller than an all-out action film so don't expect tons of action. The script is very Hollywood at times and there's not a whole lot to get your teeth into, but overall this is a watchable time-passer coupled with a respectable cast and basic cinematic fun.

CONTRABAND is a tale of cross-border drug-smuggling, centred around a tough, everyman character played by the underrated Mark Wahlberg. The film for the most part sidesteps modern-day Hollywood clichés, like shoehorned-in action scenes that add nothing to the storyline and are merely there to give choreographers and special effects guys a chance to earn their keep. For the record, there's only one (relevant) car chase.Instead this is a taut, suspenseful story that plays realistic for the most part, and all the better for it. The truth is that it doesn't bring anything new to the table and the thrills it chronicles are very familiar, but its depiction of the minutiae of the scenario keep it moving merrily along. It also has some suitably unpleasant bad guys to boo at.CONTRABAND also features a cast of former youthful stars who are nowadays moving into more mature roles. Ben Foster and Giovanni Ribisi play to type, but it's good to see Lukas Haas given some proper material and even Kate Beckinsale isn't too shabby. J. K. Simmons stands out in a supporting role as the ship's captain and Diego Luna once again delivers an edgy turn. The film might be no classic but for solid thrills and suspense you could do a lot worse.