CompleteMartialArts.com - The Contractor
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List Price: $14.94
Our Price: $11.99
Your Save: $ 2.95 ( 20% )
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Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
Starring: Wesley Snipes, Elizabeth Bennett
Directed By: Josef Rusnak
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Average Customer Rating:   
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Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
Brand: Sony
EAN: 0043396175969
Format: AC-3
Label: Sony Pictures
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Sony Pictures
Region Code: 99
Release Date: 2007-07-10
Running Time: 105
Studio: Sony Pictures
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
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Editorial Reviews:
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Wesley Snipes is back in this captivating action-thriller about a deadly assassin who finds himself on the run when an attempt to kill a terrorist mastermind in London goes terribly wrong. Retired marksman James Dial (Snipes) has been living a secluded life on his ranch in Montana but he is haunted by his failure to exterminate one of the world’s most notorious terrorists. Dial is approached by his old employers to finish the job in London, where the terrorist leader has been captured and is under heavy protection. What would be a routine mission for the sniper turns into a nightmare as Dial is forced into hiding and relentlessly pursued by the British police and their lead investigator, Windsor (Dance). But when Dial is framed for Windsor’s murder, he begins to realize that he has been seriously double-crossed. His only hope is a 12-year-old girl whom Dial reluctantly befriends as he desperately searches to find the killer and the truth behind his betrayal.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Another Fugitive Film
Comment: A heron flies across a country road in Montana. [No dog to bark a warning about visitors?] The cowboy is told about an imprisoned terrorist in London; does he know too much? Armed police patrol the London airport. [Are messages still passed in matchbooks? Would burning matches set off a smoke alarm?] The Contractor climbs into a steeple to perform his assigned task. The police seal off the area and stop cars from leaving. Will the Contractor escape? Will the surveillance cameras record all people? High-level police officers confer about this problem.
Why is there no help at the safe house? Would a young girl be so helpful to a stranger? Will he be recognized at the airport? The armed British police shoot at him. So does another person. If Jackson can't fly out of the country where will he go? Will the British SWAT team succeed in locating the fugitive? Could forensics identify the pistol that shot Superintendent Windsor? [Does the story get bogged down in the middle?] There is another chase through crowded streets. The British SWAT team uses H&K MP-5 machine guns like their US counterparts. Every telephone is Britain is tapped! [George Orwell's "1984" warned about this.] Will they intercept Jackson's call? Will the sound of gunshots alarm the public? There is a chase in the Underground. [A hooded jacket hides a person's face.]
There is another shoot-out in the kitchen of a hotel, done for dramatic effect. It doesn't disguise the lack of a good story. "It was never personal", they just followed orders. At the end Jackson rides out of town, like some cowboy in some old western movie. It is not a good ending. The use of mercenary assassins by a government is a topic that deserves a better film that this. You can read Norman Lewis' "The Sicilian Specialist", or Richard Condon's novels "Winter Kills" or "The Manchurian Candidate". Note that a professional killer will use a rifle so he can escape to collect his payment. A fanatic will use a pistol because he is willing to sacrifice himself for his cause.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Unique action adventure
Comment: The storyline is very unique. The action is non stop. Basically, this is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time.
I give this movie a five star rating for its original storyline.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Flawed but still entertaining
Comment: The Contractor stars Wesley Snipes as an assassin who goes to London to kill a terrorist but gets framed for another murder. Set in London, it has a good supporting cast of English actors including Charles Dance, Lena Headey and young Eliza Bennett. For the most part, it's a standard action story, and the occasional dramatic scenes feel a bit out of place, especially those between the young girl and her grandmother. I would have liked less drama and more action from this type of movie. Also, the motivation of the bad guys is somewhat unclear. Still, it was entertaining enough for three stars.
Customer Rating:
Summary: reasonably weak
Comment: a couple of reasonable action/fight scenes, but overall weak movie. Not worth the time to watch it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Nice Supporting Cast, OK Actions and Unoriginal Story
Comment: If you're looking for an action film with car chases, shoot-outs and explosions, you will be disappointed with "The Contractor," which looks more like an old-fashioned cat-and-mouse thriller. The new Wesley Snipes film, it seems, is a blend of "Shooter" and "The Professional" (aka "Leon") with less actions and emotional intensity.
There is virtually nothing new about the story. Wesley Snipes plays James Dial, a retired sniper who is called in to do another job for men in suit. Of course, he is reluctant, accepts the job anyway and completes the mission, but not in the way he first expected and James must survive and fight back on his own as a stranger in London (but the film is shot in Bulgaria).
This stoic hitman is unexpectedly helped by a lonely, troubled 14-year-old girl Emily he encounters while hiding from his enemies. This is the most memorable part of the film because of the presence of Eliza Bennett ("Nanny McPhee"). You don't find the chemistry between Jean Reno and Natalie Portman here, but their acting is surprisingly good, making their unlikely friendship pretty convincing.
[NICE SUPPORTING CAST] In fact, the supporting actors are one of the merits of watching "The Contractor," of which cast includes, besides Eliza Bennett, veterans like Charles Dance, John Standing and Gemma Jones, plus Lena Headey (Queen Gorgo of "300") as Inspector Ballard.
In spite of their names, however, action scenes need more originality and tension and I don't think the hectic camera work really helps. Moreover, Dance and Headey are sadly wasted, especially the latter, having not much to do in the film's by-the-numbers story. The film is better than you may think, certainly better than most of Snipe's previous direct-to-DVD films, but not much improvement either.
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