Director : Bruce Beresford
Producer : Randall Emmett, George Furla, Avi Lerner, Danny Lernerucer, Andreas Schmid, Les Weldon
Screenwriter : Stephen Katz, John Darrouzet
Starring : John Cusack, Morgan Freeman, Alice Krige
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.
| Write for us |
" Weak "
Rating: R, 2006
![]() |
The Raven - Trailer |
![]() |
Hot Tub Time Machine, Trailer |
![]() |
2012, Trailer |