There seems to be a running theme next year with foreign directors making their big Hollywood splash. We have Asger Leth‘s Man on a Ledge with Sam Worthington, Daniel Espinosa‘s Safe House with Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds, Tommy Wirkola‘s Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters with Jeremy Renner, Mabrouk El Mechri‘s The Cold Light of Day with Bruce Willis and Henry Cavill and Baltasar Kormákur‘s Contraband, which we have the first trailer for today. And those are just in the first few months.
Based on the film Reykjavik: Rotterdam, Contraband stars Mark Wahlberg, Kate Beckinsale, Ben Foster, Giovanni Ribisi and Lukas Haas. The latter three look like they’re having fun, but the entire plot seems quite recycled and generic. Also, when will scenes in shipping docks end? We’ve had The Losers, The A-Team and Hanna all in the last few years. At least it seems to be a main device in Contraband. Overall, this looks like your run-of-the-mill January thriller. Check out he trailer below via Yahoo and more images below.
Synopsis:
Mark Wahlberg leads the cast of Contraband, a fast-paced thriller about a man trying to stay out of a world he worked so hard to leave behind and the family he’ll do anything to protect. Set in New Orleans, the film explores the cutthroat underground world of international smuggling — full of desperate criminals and corrupt officials, high-stakes and big payoffs — where loyalty rarely exists and death is one wrong turn away. Chris Farraday (Wahlberg) long ago abandoned his life of crime, but after his brother-in-law, Andy (Caleb Landry Jones), botches a drug deal for his ruthless boss, Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi), Chris is forced back into doing what he does best — running contraband — to settle Andy’s debt. Chris is a legendary smuggler and quickly assembles a crew with the help of his best friend, Sebastian (Ben Foster), for one final run to Panama and back, hoping to return with millions in counterfeit bills. Things quickly fall apart and with only hours to reach the cash, Chris must use his rusty skills to successfully navigate a treacherous criminal network of brutal drug lords, cops and hit men before his wife, Kate (Kate Beckinsale), and sons become their target.
Contraband hits theaters January 13, 2012.