‘You either trust me or you don’t’

Running time: 107 minutes
Age restriction: adults only
Reviewed by Prof Joel White
More than any recent film seen here in Harare, Baltasar Kormankur’s explosive film “Contraband” illustrates both a unique opportunity and a problem which is unique to Hollywood films.
One of the words used to describe this problem is typecasting. Over the years the audience gets to know certain Hollywood stars for the type of parts they take. Some are villains; some are good guys. Woe to the filmmaker who tries to have one of his principal characters played by an actor who has become type cast by the film-going public.
Mark Wahlberg, now 41 years of age, born in the quiet, northeastern state of Maine, has worn all these years a gentle visage which has broadcast “good guy” to the cinema going public.
Woe to the director that tried to get away with presenting him to the public in a role which encompassed villainy.
But what do you do if you are the director of a film starring Wahlberg, in which he is required to appear to be the villain in order that justice, in the end, be served.
Further to his appearing villainous for more than three quarters of the film, we know, from the beginning, that he is the devoted husband to his loving wife, and putty in the hands of his twin boys, age seven.
But filmgoers make note. That he will ultimately be seen, by the film’s end, for the good guy that he is not known by the film’s other characters all villains to whom he appears one of us.
This will certainly give him an edge in dealing with all this low life, but at the same time require of him the ability to run-like-hell when they realise the nature of the game he’s actually playing.
Especially so when, back at home, the wife and kids are kept in the dark most of the time; and provide easy and helpless targets for his enemies.
Chris Farraday (Mark Wahlberg) lives across the Hudson River from (my hometown) New York City, with the film giving excellent opportunity to see this city of 10 million in all its splendour.
Even better, his villainous side takes him to Panama, giving the film-goer a long ride up and down the Panama Canal.