Before I even start my review, I want to announce that I found "The Contract" 2-disc Blu-ray/DVD NEW at the Dollar Store for, yes, $1. Hurry down and pick up yours while they last. After you buy it you can come back here & decide whether it's worth watching or just selling on ebay.
"The Contract" will appeal to a specific audience whom I'd loosely categorize as fans of late-80s crime thrillers. From the respectable titles like "Witness" (1985) where Harrison Ford protects an Amish boy from the mob, to the utterly cheezalicious fare like "Streets of Fire" (1984) where Micahel Paré is a mercenary trying to rescue his rockstar ex-girlfriend from a weird biker gang, if you have a soft spot for these kinds of films, you should check out "The Contract".
However, if you're looking for 21st century realism, a labyrinthine plot with edgy conflicts, disturbing, gritty situations like in maybe "Pulp Fiction" or the newer style of crime thriller pioneered by filmmakers like Tarantino & the Coen Brothers, then you probably won't find what you're looking for here.
What you will find instead is simple (but interesting) story made extravagant with high production values (a budget of $25 million, filmed in the Pacific Northwest, Washington DC, and Bulgaria), some powerful actors (Morgan Freeman & John Cusack), and some heavy hitters involved in production (director Bruce Beresford who did "Driving Miss Daisy" with Freeman back in '89) as well as a consortium of big-moneyed producers.
One thing that all these people have in common is a solid reputation in 80s films, and I think that's why this movie came out this way. "The Contract" is an entertaining flick whose plot is set up in the first 20 minutes and doesn't stray from it thereafter. It may seem predictable, and there are 1 or 2 scenes bordering on preposterous, but like the 80s crime drama, that's part of its charm.
Don't worry, we're not quite in "A-Team" territory, and there are no talking Trans Ams, but it does have a slightly unbelievable vibe that you might find either refreshing or infuriating.
To me, the beauty of this film is in the interaction between the three main characters: the killer (Morgan Freeman), the patsy (John Cusack) and his semi-estranged son (Jamie Anderson). It's basically the story of these three people in the dense wilderness of the Pacific Northwest with a bunch of psycho bad guys and equally psycho good guys on their trail. Like I said, the story is very simple, almost comic book simple, but there is tremendous value in the interaction between the 3 leads.
The scenery is lush, with most of it being shot near Spokane, WA and other parts in the forests of Bulgaria (I couldn't tell the difference). And the special effects are amazing. There's a car crash or two that'll really get your heart pumping, and there's a mishap with a helicopter that was stunning to watch, especially on Blu-ray (even better on a $1 Blu-ray). The music is equally momentous, performed by the London Philharmonic. "The Contract" is truly an example of taking a very simple plot and surrounding it with grandeur out the wazoo, whether that idea appeals to you or not.
More than anything, though, it requires that special 80s suspension of disbelief, that ability to go along for the ride even though your higher brain functions are screaming at you to snap out of it. If that describes you, this is a great flick.
"The Contract" will appeal to a specific audience whom I'd loosely categorize as fans of late-80s crime thrillers. From the respectable titles like "Witness" (1985) where Harrison Ford protects an Amish boy from the mob, to the utterly cheezalicious fare like "Streets of Fire" (1984) where Micahel Paré is a mercenary trying to rescue his rockstar ex-girlfriend from a weird biker gang, if you have a soft spot for these kinds of films, you should check out "The Contract".
However, if you're looking for 21st century realism, a labyrinthine plot with edgy conflicts, disturbing, gritty situations like in maybe "Pulp Fiction" or the newer style of crime thriller pioneered by filmmakers like Tarantino & the Coen Brothers, then you probably won't find what you're looking for here.
What you will find instead is simple (but interesting) story made extravagant with high production values (a budget of $25 million, filmed in the Pacific Northwest, Washington DC, and Bulgaria), some powerful actors (Morgan Freeman & John Cusack), and some heavy hitters involved in production (director Bruce Beresford who did "Driving Miss Daisy" with Freeman back in '89) as well as a consortium of big-moneyed producers.
One thing that all these people have in common is a solid reputation in 80s films, and I think that's why this movie came out this way. "The Contract" is an entertaining flick whose plot is set up in the first 20 minutes and doesn't stray from it thereafter. It may seem predictable, and there are 1 or 2 scenes bordering on preposterous, but like the 80s crime drama, that's part of its charm.
Don't worry, we're not quite in "A-Team" territory, and there are no talking Trans Ams, but it does have a slightly unbelievable vibe that you might find either refreshing or infuriating.
To me, the beauty of this film is in the interaction between the three main characters: the killer (Morgan Freeman), the patsy (John Cusack) and his semi-estranged son (Jamie Anderson). It's basically the story of these three people in the dense wilderness of the Pacific Northwest with a bunch of psycho bad guys and equally psycho good guys on their trail. Like I said, the story is very simple, almost comic book simple, but there is tremendous value in the interaction between the 3 leads.
The scenery is lush, with most of it being shot near Spokane, WA and other parts in the forests of Bulgaria (I couldn't tell the difference). And the special effects are amazing. There's a car crash or two that'll really get your heart pumping, and there's a mishap with a helicopter that was stunning to watch, especially on Blu-ray (even better on a $1 Blu-ray). The music is equally momentous, performed by the London Philharmonic. "The Contract" is truly an example of taking a very simple plot and surrounding it with grandeur out the wazoo, whether that idea appeals to you or not.
More than anything, though, it requires that special 80s suspension of disbelief, that ability to go along for the ride even though your higher brain functions are screaming at you to snap out of it. If that describes you, this is a great flick.