Metacritic Movie Ratings
Contraband Reviews

A sample of reviews from critics across the country.

• 75

  out of 100

  Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman

  Contraband, while often grungy and far-fetched, does keep you watching. And in January, that's recommendation enough.

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• 70

  out of 100

  Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern

  It's a genre film, not great art, though there's a good joke about art - a pricey piece of action painting, appropriately enough - but it's a thoroughly satisfying entertainment, and, in this season of lowered expectations, a nice surprise.

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• 60

  out of 100

  Los Angeles TimesBetsy Sharkey

  So super complicated (implausible?) that in the wrong hands it would be laughable. Instead, this very gritty bit of greased action does a decent job of shaking the sluggish out of January.

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• 60

  out of 100

  VarietyJustin Chang

  This solid if disposable genre exercise maintains a hard-driving line of action and a commitment to one-damned-thing-after-another storytelling that carries it past any number of narrative speedbumps and preposterous detours.

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• 60

  out of 100

  The New York TimesManohla Dargis

  The absurdity of the story in the largely thrill-free thriller Contraband, its hairpin twists and outrageous coincidences, may keep even hungry action fans away. That's too bad because the story doesn't matter. (It rarely does.)

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• 60

  out of 100

  The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthy

  The lead role of a working class former smuggler who dirties his hands again to save his family fits Mark Wahlberg like a glove.

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• 50

  out of 100

  Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert

  Contraband is based on an Icelandic thriller named "Reykjavik-Rotterdam," which leads you to suspect that neither New Orleans nor Panama City is particularly essential to the plot. That film starred Baltasar Kormakur, who is the director of this one, perhaps as a demonstration that many stars believe they could direct this crap themselves if they ever had the chance.

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• 50

  out of 100

  USA TodayClaudia Puig

  Contraband has a few moments of tension, but it adheres to a predictable heist formula hardly worth trafficking in.

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See all Contraband movie reviews at Metacritic.com