Contraband

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Contraband

R

2012

1h 50m

Action

Mystery & Thriller

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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.

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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.

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Keith Uhlich

Time Out

05/09/2025

2/5

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

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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.

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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.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

03/01/2023

2/4

This flavorless action fodder goes from tiresome to mildly unpleasant.

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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.

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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.

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Matthew D

@OceanSage May 13

What an underrated heist thriller. Why is everyone rating Contraband so lowly? Director Baltasar Kormákur’s crime drama Contraband (2012) is really excellent with gritty craftsmanship, strong acting, alongside clever writing. I saw there were a ton of negative reviews and it kind of surprised me as Contraband is very cool. Suspenseful, clever, and very exciting with plenty of action. I found Contraband riveting. Seeing a guy forced to smuggle goods overseas with hidden compartments and through security is quite intense. Mark Wahlberg is pretty cool as a former smuggler trying to save his family. Wahlberg is great and tough as Chris Farraday. He carries his lead role. Kate Beckinsale is very stunning as Wahlberg’s wife Kate Farraday. Her scenes are very suspenseful and unnerving in a couple of home invasion scenes. Ben Foster is super sinister and underhanded as Sebastian. In short, Contraband is awesome and worth a watch.

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Damon G

@Dmoney420 Feb 22

Another one of marks classics

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Oaklee D

@ODie63 05/21/2025

Your standard stereotypical Mark Wahlberg action flick.

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Frans B

@FransB 05/03/2025

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

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Calvin T

@Calvin504 02/20/2025

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

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d m

@RT02542716 07/29/2024

#Recommended 8/10

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Baltasar Kormákur

Director

Mark Wahlberg

Chris Farraday

Kate Beckinsale

Kate Farraday

Ben Foster

Sebastian Abney

Giovanni Ribisi

Tim Briggs

Caleb Landry Jones

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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