The Contract - Movie Review
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
How'd a reasonably-big ($25 million) budget picture starring John Cusack and Morgan Freeman and directed by twice-Oscar-nominated Bruce Beresford go absolutely nowhere? I'd never even heard of The Contract until the DVD showed up at my house. I wager you're the same... and few will even see it on home video, either.
The story begins with decent promise as Freeman is revealed to be a stellar hitman, only his cover is finally blown and the many enemies he's made over the years come after him. He escapes an elaborate assassination and runs into the wilderness, only to be apprehended (because he's in handcuffs) by a camping father (John Cusack) and his son. While the trio attempts to get back to civilization to turn Freeman in, they're pursued by the bad guys and the good guys, and they still have to deal with harsh terrain surrounding them. Beresford's setup starts strong but soon peters out and gets repetitive as Cusack faces down one impossible situation after another, but never with much finesse. It's just running around on a mountain, often in the dark: The final showdown takes place completely and absurdly without lighting and pretty much seals the movie's doom.
Safe to skip. Even Cusack fans will find his charms in short supply here.
Facts and Figures
Year: 2006
Run time: 96 mins
In Theaters: Thursday 5th April 2007
Budget: $25M
Distributed by: First Look Home Entertainment
Production compaines: Nu Image Entertainment, 3L Filmverleih
Reviews
Contactmusic.com: 2.5 / 5
IMDB: 5.7 / 10
Cast & Crew
Director: Bruce Beresford
Producer: Randall Emmett, George Furla, Avi Lerner, Danny Lernerucer, Andreas Schmid, Les Weldon
Screenwriter: Stephen Katz, John Darrouzet
Starring: Morgan Freeman as Frank Carden, John Cusack as Ray, Alice Krige as Miles, Megan Dodds as Sandra, Corey Johnson as Davis, Jonathan Hyde as Turner, Bill Smitrovich as Wainwright, Anthony Warren as Royko, Ned Bellamy as Evans, Thomas Lockyer as Johnson, Gary Whelan as Stanfield, Ian Shaw as Michaels, Mark Johnson as Lydel Hammond Jr., Jamie Anderson as Chris
Also starring: Randall Emmett, George Furla, Avi Lerner, Les Weldon