The Contractor (2022) - SPOILER-FREE Review
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Directed by: Tarik Saleh
Written by: J.P. Davis
Starring: Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Gillian Jacobs, Eddie Marsan, Florian Munteanu, Kiefer Sutherland
Runtime: 103 min
Synopsis: Chris Pine stars in the action-packed thriller as Special Forces Sergeant James Harper, who 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 long enough to get home and uncover the true motives of those who betrayed him.
Considering all genres of cinema, action films focused on an ex-military/agent with financial and/or health problems who tries to save himself and/or his family through a "side job" - often accompanied by "it's just this once, there's no danger, nothing can go wrong" - are probably the most visited "drawer" by producers in Hollywood. The formulas that shape this type of story have been so repeated over the last few decades that studios found a way to tell a generic narrative with box-office success, winning over the general audience by hand-picking well-known actors and making slight variations to the screenplay itself.
The Contractor precisely executes what it sells, fulfilling the most predictable expectations. The lack of creativity and surprise factor surrounds a plot that doesn't do much to escape the above description, putting much of its potential success into Chris Pine's (Wonder Woman 1984) performance and the action sequences. In fact, these are the two most positive aspects of the movie. Regarding the latter, most of the chase scenes, shootings, and missions are well filmed, despite missing high levels of entertainment due to the typical editing and unflashy choreography. Aside from a couple of more exciting moments, it's rare for a sequence to amaze viewers.
However, as expected, Pine ends up carrying almost the entire film with the precious help of Ben Foster (Hell or High Water). Both deliver emotionally controlled performances due to their strict military upbringing, which ends up creating some moments of high intensity between the two when emotions reach a boiling point. The Contractor depends heavily on the audience's connection with the characters played by these two actors, and an eventual lack of interest and/or empathy could result in a disastrous cinematic experience.
There's not much more to describe, as Tarik Saleh cannot take J. P. Davis' screenplay and turn it into something unique that distinguishes itself from the thousands of similar versions scattered throughout the cosmos of filmmaking. In what is the Swedish director's first English feature film, Saleh even shows some talent for conducting realistic military action, but with such a familiar narrative, it would be very difficult to deliver a work worthy of being recommended to all viewers.
Final Thoughts
The Contractor is one more generic action flick with a story borrowed directly from the formulaic Hollywood closet, without any surprises or even high entertainment levels. Chris Pine is the mandatory "famous face" chosen to (try to) elevate a plot seen countless times before, and with Ben Foster's friendly shoulder, they actually manage to carry Tarek Saleh's film for a good chunk of the runtime. However, even with a couple of captivating action sequences and occasional eyebrow-raising moments, this movie can't free itself from the imagination-inhibiting shackles. Inevitably, it will end up falling into the hole of oblivion as soon as the viewers leave the theater.
