Movie Review: Contraband

Contraband (2012) 

Directed by Baltasar Kormakur 

Written by Aaron Guzikowski

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Kate Beckinsale, Giovanni Ribisi, Caleb Landry Jones, J.K Simmons, Ben Foster 

Release Date January 12th, 2012 

Published January 11th, 2012 

Contraband is a mediocre action movie that rises above mediocre because Mark Wahlberg is so darn compelling. I've been a Mark Wahlberg fan for years; despite his having starred in such duds as The Happening, Maxx Payne, and Shooter. Wahlberg simply has that intangible star quality that makes you want to follow him on whatever film journey he's taking. Contraband could not survive with a lesser star.

Chris Farraday (Wahlberg) was once known as the Houdini of the smuggling world. With his sidekick Sebastian (Ben Foster), Farraday could smuggle anything without ever getting caught. Now, Farraday is a civilian, running his own security company, happily married to Kate (Kate Beckinsale) and raising two sons. He’s gone soft, he’s gone legit, and anyone who’s ever seen a movie about a bad guy gone good already knows where Contraband is headed. 

Yup, Farraday is dragged back into the smuggling underworld when his boneheaded brother in law Andy (Caleb Landry Jones) pulls a drug smuggling job and ends up dumping the drugs in the river when Customs boards his boat. Not surprisingly, Andy's employer, Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi), is none too happy and he wants Chris to pay Andy's debt or else. Pulled back into the business, Farraday calls on Sebastian for one more run. 

There are no surprises in this set up; Contraband is not original or unexpected. What works in Contraband is the businesslike, conservative approach of director Baltasar Kormakur who gets down to the business of smuggling with only the most necessary bits of exposition. When Mark Wahlberg and his crew finally get on a ship ready to smuggle the pace is methodical and to the point.

Giovanni Ribisi is not exactly the most intimidating bad guy one could imagine and this does undermine a few scenes where he's supposed to be playing tough. One scene that will test an audience's ability to suspend belief finds the wiry Ribisi pushing around Kate Beckinsale. Anyone who's seen and enjoyed the Underworld movies knows Kate Beckinsale could snap Ribisi like a twig if she wanted.

(Yes, I'm aware that movie magic makes Beckinsale a badass vampire in "Underworld;" I was being cute.)

The key to raising Contraband above other, similar action thrillers is Mark Wahlberg. Since his bold and ballsy Oscar nominated work in The Departed Wahlberg has really come into his own as a movie star and that movie star quality is the one thing working in favor of Contraband. Without Mark Wahlberg, Contraband is an exceptionally average movie. See "Contraband" for Mark Wahlberg or maybe to chuckle at Giovanni Ribisi's tattooed tough guy; both are strong reasons to see "Contraband."

Movie Review The Last Exorcism

The Last Exorcism (2010) 

Directed by Daniel Stamm 

Written by Huck Botko, Andrew Gurland 

Starring Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell, Caleb Landry Jones 

Release Date August 27th, 2010

Published August 26th, 2010 

“The Last Exorcism” is a phenomenal movie. Horror and suspense are mixed perfectly in this faux documentary throwback to the low budget roots of “The Blair Witch Project.” Directed with supreme skill by Daniel Stamm, “The Last Exorcism” is smart, funny, exciting and terrifying and features a lead performance by Patrick Fabian that is one of the best of the year.

Reverend Cotton Marcus (Fabian) is suffering a crisis of faith. Having been a preacher since the age of 10, even going as far as participating in exorcisms alongside his preacher father from that early age, Cotton now finds himself wondering if God exists. Thus, when Cotton is approached by a documentary crew, led Iris (Iris Bahr), intending to debunk exorcisms Cotton agrees to help out.

Despite having given up believing that exorcism and demonic possession were real afflictions, Cotton continues to perform exorcisms as a therapeutic treatment. His shyster-esque practice is to agree that exorcism is real, create the circumstance of a real possession through trickery, and then heal the afflicted by convincing them they have been released by their non-existent demon.

This time the documentary crew will follow along and see how he creates an exorcism while also debunking the practice. The afflicted in this case is a 16 year old named Nell Sweetzer (Ashley Bell). Nell's father, Louis (Louis Herthum), has been losing cattle, sheep and other farm animals, all of them gutted, while his daughter wakes up covered in blood and claiming not to know what happened.

Her story is suspicious as are the actions of her older brother Caleb (Caleb Landry Jones) who first warns the preacher and the filmmakers to leave and then proceeds to further, equally disturbing, threats. Is Caleb the real troublemaker? Are Nell's father and his alcoholism the real culprit? Or is there something deeply, psychologically wrong with the seemingly innocent and unassuming Nell.

The answers to each of the questions posed above in “The Last Exorcism” are offered with stunning effectiveness. Director Daniel Stamm and screenwriters Huck Botko and Andrew gurland have crafted a terrifically clever tale of horror that gets to the heart of the best of horror movies, the anticipation and build to horror.

Using the faux documentary, shaky Cam, style popularized by “The Blair Witch Project,” the makers of “The Last Exorcism” crank the horror tension up to 11 by effectively keeping the horror at bay without teasing the audience with cheap thrills. Yes, there are shrieks in the music score and minor misdirection, but more often than not the typical horror movie scenes payoff with unexpected results.

One of the ways “The Last Exorcism” shrewdly defies expectations is in the casting of TV veteran Patrick Fabian as Reverend Cotton Marcus. A handsome, charismatic actor with a carnival barker’s ability for B.S and actor’s ability to compel your attention, Fabian is the best bit of misdirection in the movie, his compelling presence and handsome face draws your attention while the horror movie stuff unfolds around him to great effect. The rest of the small ensemble cast, including Ashley Bell, Caleb Landry Jones, Louis Herthum and Iris Bahr fit perfectly into the story. These performances are captured with care and logic and play perfectly into the suspense and the great con of the best horror movies, creating the belief that these characters are in real danger.

No “Piranha 3D” garbage here, though Eli Roth is surprisingly a producer, “The Last Exorcism” puts the lie to movies like “Piranha” by placing believable, sympathetic characters in the way of great evil and allowing us to fear for and care for them. Never for a moment does Daniel Stamm prefer showing off his ability to scare us or appall us over the interests of his characters. The story is about how these characters react and attempt to counteract evil and because of that we are compelled; we are on the journey with them and not rooting for their bloody end. 

I could go on for pages about how clever, scary, suspenseful and ingenious “The Last Exorcism” is. A great cast, exceptionally well directed and working from a terrific script craft not just the year's best horror film but one of the best movies of the year of any genre. “The Last Exorcism” really is THAT good.