Contraband (2012)
Directed by Baltasar Kormákur
When his brother-in-law runs afoul of a drug lord, family man Chris Farraday turns to a skill he abandoned long ago—smuggling—to repay the debt. But the job goes wrong, and Farraday finds himself wanted by cops, crooks and killers alike.
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What critics compared Contraband to
Mark Wahlberg stars in a smuggling film that plays like a really boring, forgettable version of Gone in 60 Seconds.
It’s the remake of Gone In 60 Seconds you never knew you needed!
The opening act culminates in a show-stopping vehicular chase through the zigzagging streets of Athens, Greece, its daring stunts, vital handheld camerawork by Barry Ackroyd (2012's " Contraband ") and unsparingly cohesive editorial design by Christopher Rouse achieving a sustained level of mesmeric high-wire tension.
Directed by Icelander Baltasar Kormakur, whose recent Mark Wahlberg programmers “Contraband” and “Two Guns” do not exactly inspire confidence, “Everest” tells the same story as Jon (“The Perfect Storm”) Krakauer’s acclaimed book “Into Thin Air” and features Krakauer (Michael Kelly) as a character in the film.
On a technical front, this is a stronger film than some of Icelandic director’s Baltasar Kormákur previous work like Contraband .
Director Baltasar Kormákur (2012's " Contraband ") and screenwriters William Nicholson (2012's " Les Misérables ") and Simon Beaufoy (2010's " 127 Hours ") follow the facts fairly closely, opting for truth over invention.
The film has been conceived for IMAX and 3D, and director Baltasar Kormákur ( 2 Guns , Contraband ) has gone full tilt for mountainous shock-and-awe.
For all the talk of existential ennui and economic security among this cast of characters, the motivations of Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur ultimately ring clearest: He’s shifting his Hollywood aspirations from the grime-crime of Tony Scott (“Contraband” and “2 Guns”) to the marriage of grandeur and intimacy preferred by Tony’s brother, Ridley, in “White Squall,” “Black Hawk Down” or “Gladiator” (which also boasted “Everest” co-writer William Nicholson in its credits).
Until now, the Icelandic-born director’s shift from eccentric character studies (“101 Reyjavik,” “Jar City”) to studio projects suggested his interests had shifted to slick but disposable genre fare (“Contraband,” “2 Guns”).
Director Baltasar Kormakur (“ Contraband ”) and screenwriter Blake Masters (adapting Steven Grant’s graphic novel) lose control of the convolutions, and cleverness gives way to a tiresome barrage of generic action-movie mayhem.
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It is in this third act where the jarring, shaky cinematography by Barry Ackroyd (2012's " Contraband ") goes haywire, mistaking freneticism for genuine suspense.