I know, I know. He was the star of my favourite film of 2011 (The Fighter), so I really shouldn't bad-mouth Mark Wahlberg.
And before I reach for the negatives, let me say that Mrs W and I enjoyed Contraband.
But it really could have been so much better.
The problem with Wahlberg is that he just doesn't do emotion. This was OK in The Fighter because he was the foil to the erratic character, played by Christian Bale, and the dynamic women in his life (Mellisa Leo and Amy Adams).
But here, he isn't being pulled through on anyone else's coat-tail.
His performance is as predictable as Ben Foster being a bad guy.
When Foster first appears in Contraband, he is seen as the caring brother. I just knew, however, that something more sinister was going on beneath the surface - because it seems to be the same with all of his characters.
Now if either of them want to have a lesson in not being typecast they should look no further than their Contraband co-star Giovanni Ribisi.
Ribisi is fantastic in pretty much everything he does and yet I can't remember him being given a lead role in anything.
Here, he plays a crazed villain with exactly the same conviction he was Pheobe's brother Frank in Friends or the medic in Saving Private Ryan.
Contraband, despite my irritation over messrs Wahlberg and Foster, the limited use of Kate Beckinsale and the cliched role of ship's captain JK Simmons, is actually a decent ride.
The idea that former smuggler (Wahlberg) comes out of retirement for one major heist after his young brother-in-law gets up to his neck with villains, is a good one.
And there are a number of against-the-clock chase scenes which work really well.
Its finale also leaves a sense of satisfaction
I haven't seen the Icelandic movie Reykjavik-Rotterdam on which it is based (its producer and star Baltasar Kormakur is director here) but I would be interested to see if it has the same flaws.
Laughs: none
Jumps: two
Vomit: A bit of Ben Foster retching but, thankfully, no chunks.
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 6.5/10
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