Ruh roh. Mark Wahlberg is getting pulled back into DA LIFE. If you ever wondered what a Liam Neeson thriller mashed up with your average Jason Statham movie — with a much better cast — would look like, here’s “Contraband” to give you an idea.
Directed by Baltasar Kormakur, who starred in the Icelandic original “Reykjavik-Rotterdam” (yep, it’s a remake), and penned by Black List-approved Aaron Guzikowski (the guy who penned the once hot “Prisoners“), the film follows a security guard and former smuggler (Wahlberg) who, facing financial troubles, is roped back into his old ways. So what does that mean? He’ll have to square off against a scenery-chewing, gun-toting Giovanni Ribisi, deal with J.K. Simmons‘ amazing moustache, and walk around very slowly while some very hype beats play in the background. Diego Luna and Lukas Haas seem to be repping his crew while Kate Beckinsale does an admirable job as the lithe, hottie girlfriend. All in all this will either be an above average B-movie thriller or just pure schlock, but with an early 2012 release it might be somewhere in between. We’re not expecting awards here, but if this can deliver some smart genre thrills, then we’ll be happy enough.
“Contraband” hits theaters on January 13, 2012. Trailer and a bunch of images from the movie below.