Following being discharged from the Special Forces, a man contends with healing injuries, PTSD, and the need to provide for his family. As things get more dire, he takes a private contract with a very high payday and risk level.
Written by J.P. Davis and directed by Tarik Saleh, The Contractor starts off as a film very much about how the ones who serve their country oftentimes comes back mentally, emotionally, and physically damaged with little to no support from those they have served. As it advances, it becomes more of an action film about a man doing what he feels he must to take care of his family and then to survive. The film approaches the tough subjects more than once, but doesn’t fully get into them as it moves toward action film territory more and more as the runtime advances. This mix is not bad here, but it does make it feel like an opportunity is being missed here and there for these hard subjects to be faced a bit more. The film does have a good flow to the story and only a few moments where it seems like things are moving in an odd direction. These moments do not do any damage to the enjoyment of the action that comes before or after. The script here is definitely the strong part here with direction that works for it.
The cast here is strong with Chris Pine in the lead, Ben Foster as the man who helps him get the contracting job, Kiefer Sutherland coming in a bit later, Eddie Marsan suddenly showing up, and really strong supporting cast. Everyone here is giving it their best and it shows in the ensemble delivery of the film. The more emotional scenes do give Chris Pine more to show than most of the others while the action sequences show that they all can handle different character evolution. This is however, very much Chris Pine’s film. His work is no only central, it is strong and shows the character as a fully fleshed out person with complicated emotions and states, one who has seen more than he probably should have and is still ready to give his all for his family. While this could have been a straight up action film, adding these angles to the characters takes it up a notch and gives it some more realistic challenges for them to work through. This is not just a shoot ‘em up, save/take whatever, good guys win in the end kind of film. There are more layers to it and it definitely makes it something to watch a few times. The characters are what differentiates it from most other action films and the cast plays these with talent and a lot of conviction.
The film overall looks fantastic with cinematography by Pierre Aïm who knows how to work with action and darker-lit scenes. His work here shows that needs to be shown and allows the characters to work in the frames available while the viewers can actually see what is going on. The editing by Theis Schmidt assists in this as the film is edited in manner that allows the viewer to actually see the action for the most part. A few scenes have quicker cuts, but overall, the film allows the story and the action to be seen properly.
The Contractor is a strong action-drama with serious issues at its center. It does go from a message film into straight action once things get really going, but it does have its heart in the right place. There is a lot in here and the action is definitely satisfying with a side of conscience which is not a bad thing here. The performance and visuals are strong and help make The Contractor a film that is both entertaining and thought-provoking at times. While the message gets a bit lost in the action, it is still very much there and the overall mood helps bring it together for the viewer without hitting them over the head with it.
Available in Theaters and On Demand and Digital April 1st!