Contraband

Play trailer

Contraband

R

2012

1h 50m

Action

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

50%

Tomatometer

164 Reviews

57%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Ex-smuggler Chris Farraday gave up his criminal ways long ago. But, he's forced back into the game after his brother-in-law, Andy, botches a drug deal for a crime lord, leaving Chris to settle the debt. With the help of his best friend, Chris assembles a team to run to Panama to retrieve a fortune in counterfeit bills. When things go awry, Chris must call on his rusty skills to complete the task before his family pays the price.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

It's more entertaining than your average January action thriller, but that isn't enough to excuse Contraband's lack of originality and unnecessarily convoluted plot.

Read Critics Reviews

Keith Uhlich

Time Out

May 9

2/5

Amounts to little more than Marky Mark’s South American Vacation.

Go to Full Review

Tara Brady

Irish Times

03/19/2012

3/5

A-Team rules apply: this is a gore-free zone that, in common with ye Lethal Weapon movies of yore, yokes family values to gunplay.

Go to Full Review

London Evening Standard

03/16/2012

2/5

How this confused and mediocre heist-cum-action movie reached - albeit briefly - the top spot in the US box-office ratings passes all understanding.

Go to Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

03/01/2023

2/4

This flavorless action fodder goes from tiresome to mildly unpleasant.

Go to Full Review

David Bax

Battleship Pretension

03/16/2021

Everything about Contraband is fleeting. It's an exercise in formula that only manages to excite you a little bit more than it will surprise you, which is not at all.

Go to Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

12/01/2020

3/10

The excitement may be there at times, but skimped character development and a camera that just won't settle down only result in indifference.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Damon G

@Dmoney420 Feb 22

Another one of marks classics

See more

Oaklee D

@ODie63 May 21

Your standard stereotypical Mark Wahlberg action flick.

See more

Frans B

@FransB May 3

Lots of intertwined events and action. Lacks a little direction, sometimes feels like it is aimlessly wandering about. Stellar cast all excels in character, cinematography is great and enough adrenaline rushes. Just nice movie night flick

See more

Calvin T

@Calvin504 02/20/2025

Wasn't good or bad....just too much going on

See more

d m

07/29/2024

#Recommended 8/10

See more

Peter G

@Petermovielover 11/16/2023

I have seen a number of Kormakur‘s absorbing Icelandic films & this, a re make of a Icelandic film where he played the Mark Wahlberg character (but did not direct) has a pretty interesting premise but is handled with enough contrivances not to mention plot holes that could sink a ship (figuratively) the size of the tanker in the film sailing between New Orleans & Panama. Little logic plays a part in this mess which, since the script seems thrown together without any sense of linear clarity. Trying to make some rational attempt at a coherent plot & it's unbelievable details is a losing proposition. The action set pieces are also awkwardly handled besides & what motivates them is, IMO, unfocused & devoid of sufficient tension & excitement. Too bad because the cast is a solid one set adrift (pun intended) in a sea of mediocrity. Another Kormakur American film EVEREST was a bit of an improvement over this farrago but his Icelandic works as a director are of considerably greater quality, so far anyway.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Baltasar Kormákur

Director

Mark Wahlberg

Chris Farraday

Kate Beckinsale

Kate Farraday

Ben Foster

Sebastian Abney

Giovanni Ribisi

Tim Briggs

Caleb Landry Jones

Andy

Baby Driver

92%

86%

Baby Driver

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Baby Driver

Run for the Money

0%

21%

Run for the Money

Watchlist

Escape Plan

50%

55%

Escape Plan

Watchlist

Homefront

42%

61%

Homefront

Watchlist

A Good Day to Die Hard

15%

40%

A Good Day to Die Hard

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

RT on DVD & Blu-ray: Contraband and The Innkeepers

Box Office Guru Wrapup: Contraband Steals Box Office Crown

Critics Consensus: Contraband (Sort Of) Delivers

View more photos

Synopsis

Ex-smuggler Chris Farraday gave up his criminal ways long ago. But, he's forced back into the game after his brother-in-law, Andy, botches a drug deal for a crime lord, leaving Chris to settle the debt. With the help of his best friend, Chris assembles a team to run to Panama to retrieve a fortune in counterfeit bills. When things go awry, Chris must call on his rusty skills to complete the task before his family pays the price.

Director: Baltasar Kormákur
Producer: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Stephen Levinson, Mark Wahlberg
Screenwriter: Aaron Guzikowski
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Leverage, Working Title Films, Blueeyes, Closest to the Hole
Rating: R (Pervasive Language|Brief Drug Use|Violence)
Genre: Action, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 13, 2012, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 1, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $66.5M
Runtime: 1h 50m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby SRD, DTS

Most Popular at Home Now