A Brilliant Conflict

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

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.

Frank Carden a dangerous trained killer is about to plan his next target when an car accident brings him to the hospital and when the nurses find a gun in his possession they call the authorities and they find out who he really is so they need to move him in order to be judged and to answer for his facts. But he is not alone, this partners fakes a problem with a truck and manage to get rod of the officers that are escorting him but a mistake makes the car to be thrown in the river and now must look for him in the woods. In the meanwhile the teacher Ray along with his son Chris are on a hike and observe the two man that are drifting along the river. They find out what is happening so now it's up to them to take Frank in front of the justice but it will not be easy because Frank's friends are following them and will do anything to recover their associate because without him they could not finish the deal and get their money.The Contract is a weak movie with less action scenes and more then a half occurs in a forest and all we see is the three man walking around. If it wasn't with the idea that a simple man can master so well a machine gun even knock down a helicopter maybe it came up more real but with this exaggeration the movie becomes dumb and a waste of two good actors.

The Contract is directed by Bruce Beresford and written by Stephen Katz and John Darrouzet. It stars Morgan Freeman, John Cusack, Jamie Anderson and Alice Krige. Music is by Normand Corbeil and cinematography by Dante Spinotti. Widower Ray Keene (Cusack) takes his troubled son on a camping trip and ends up trying to bring a well known assassin, Frank Carden (Morgan Freeman), to justice. Not easy since Carden's team are tracking them through the wilderness.A plodding no thrills wilderness hunt type drama without a sense of purpose or suspense. Pic takes a familiar route with characters tainted by family strife or harbouring good hearts beneath bad exteriors, while the script tosses in mundane exchanges at frequent intervals. Cusack and Freeman are on auto-pilot, though the latter seems to be enjoying himself in a bad boy role, and nobody ever convinces us that this is anything but TV movie standard story telling. Spinotti's photography around a mountainous Bulgaria (standing in for Washington State) is the highlight, and what action there is is handled in decent fashion by the director. Yet as various interesting threads are dangled to end up not being pulled, and the formula of genre is adhered to wholesale, you understand why it went direct to video and why all involved have pushed it out of their minds completely. 4/10

By all appearances a quick and cheaply-made thriller made to cash in on a couple of star actors. The Contract is a film about a team of hit-man sent to carry out a double assassination who find themselves in hot water when their boss (Morgan Freeman) is captured by a random passing stranger (John Cusack) who just happens to be hiking out in the wilderness with his son.What follows will surprise nobody, with plenty of the type of low-rent gun-friendly heroics of many a Steven Seagal-starring DTV actioner. The movie has a general rushed feeling to it in terms of the writing, throwing in the same old clichés (the father/son bonding and both missing the deceased mother) yet benefiting from Freeman's star performance. Although he's playing a bad guy this time around, Freeman is impossible to dislike and the film makers realise this, playing on his best qualities throughout.The less said about John Cusack, the better. I've never liked this guy and he sleepwalks through the movie, delivering the kind of performance that could have been bettered by a zombie. The supporting cast are nothing to write home about either, with Alice Krige (STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT) wasted as a government agent and only Corey Johnson registering as one of the assassin team. The action is disappointing, mostly dark and murky (although one bit with a helicopter is rather good) and I was left looking at my watch rather than enjoying the on-screen story.