Cita:Contraband Blu-ray Review
Universal's AV presentation saves this uneven remake from a stint in the bargin bin...
Reviewed by Kenneth Brown, April 9, 2012

Take a moment and spend some time with Contraband's theatrical trailer. Finished? Congratulations, you've just watched Contraband in its entirety, with almost all of its snubnosed twists, lockjawed turns and nonsensical genre jimmying intact. You also just saved yourself two hours and the cost of a rental (or more, depending on how pickable your pocket is these days). "But Ken, ol' buddy," you might say. "I like Big Dumb Fun. I'm a sucker for this kinda flick. It's even got Mark Wahlberg and Giovanni Ribisi, and I loooove me some Marky Mark and Cory Kupkus. This movie's made for me." And I'm sure there are some of you out there, God love ya, with the ability to switch off your brain, kick back with a bowl of Jiffy Pop, and appreciate a big, dumb genre jock like Contraband for everything it has to offer, hackneyed screenplay, mindless dialogue, distended performances and all. Just don't be surprised if you start asking yourself how a movie made for you could go so terribly, terribly wrong. Wahlberg's latest is a mess, from start to finish, beat to beatdown, script to screen. How bad is it? Chances are those who mount a defense will include some variation of the modern moviegoer's go-to rebuttal: "oh come on, it's not that bad."

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Contraband Blu-ray, Overall Score and Recommendation
Here we go again. Bad film, great AV presentation. While Contraband will certainly find its way into its fans' hands (as camp-splitting actioners so easily do), it could have been much, much better. Somewhere, lurking below the surface, there's a Tony Scott film I probably would have responded to positively. But in the hands of director Baltasar Kormákur and screenwriter Aaron Guzikowski, it's everything you'd expect and everything it shouldn't be. Its only saving grace? A top notch Blu-ray release, complete with a precise and proficient video transfer, a neighbor-rousing DTS-HD Master Audio track, and a serviceable selection of special features. I'd personally recommend avoiding Contraband, but if curiosity compels you or a deep love of Mark Walhberg drives you to take the plunge, Universal's AV presentation will, if nothing else, serve as a reward.