The Contractor is an okay suspense-thriller and does showcase Chris Pine’s charisma (the reason I liked him as Jack Ryan), however the plot is thin and the writing pretty standard and predictable.
The Contractor
(2022)
Genre(s): Suspense/Thriller, Drama
Paramount | R – 103 min. – $35.99 | June 7, 2022
Date Published: 06/06/2022 | Author: The Movieman
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Paramount provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 3/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Special Forces Sergeant James Harper (CHRIS PINE) is involuntarily discharged from the Army and cut off from his pension. In debt, out of options and desperate to provide for his family, Harper contracts with a private underground military force. When the very first assignment goes awry, the elite soldier finds himself hunted and on the run, caught in a dangerous conspiracy and fighting to stay alive longs enough to get home and uncover the true motives of those who betrayed him. Quick Hit Review: There’s no doubt that Chris Pine is leading man material and made for these espionage-thrillers like The Contractor and I actually liked his turn as Jack Ryan in… well, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, a movie that was delayed a few times and ultimately was a box office disappointment (though still managed ~$136M worldwide off of a $60M budget). With The Contractor, while I did like Pine in the lead and some of the action and fights were okay albeit a few were in pitch dark locations where it was really difficult distinguishing who was fighting who. The film also has a solid supporting cast with Ben Foster and, in a limited role, Keifer Sutherland. The issue is, and this was without reading the back cover beforehand which does lay it all out, the movie was far too predictable, losing any real suspense or mystery. Directed by Tarik Saleh from a script by J.P. Davis, The Contractor is one of those movies probably fine as a rental or streaming (I believe at the time of this writing, it is on Paramount+) but really doubt you’ll remember any of it a week later if not sooner. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 0/5 |
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This release does come with a semi-glossy slip cover and inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. However, no bonus features were included. |
VIDEO – 4½/5 |
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Paramount releases The Contractor onto 4K Ultra HD presented with a 2.39 widescreen aspect ratio and a 2160p high-definition transfer. Detail on this looks good, albeit not exceptional, as there are many scenes shot in near pitch darkness while colors even in daylight or well lit shots are tamped down perhaps in keeping with the darker tone of the film. |
AUDIO – 4½/5 |
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The movie comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track (not sure why not upgrade to Atmos) and this lossless track outputs crisp and clean dialogue throughout and there is some decent depth during the shootout scenes. I would not say this is a reference quality work or anything but it’s still more than adequate. |
OVERALL — 2½/5 |
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Overall, The Contractor is an okay suspense-thriller and does showcase Chris Pine’s charisma (the reason I liked him as Jack Ryan), however the plot is thin and the writing pretty standard and predictable. This is fine as a rental for a one-time viewing but I don’t see this having much replay value. |