‘He will stop at nothing’
The Contractor is a 2022 American action thriller about an ex-soldier who signs up to work for a shady private military force.
Directed by Tarik Saleh (The Nile Hilton Incident; Tommy; Metropia) from a screenplay written by J.P. Davis (The Plane; The Neighbor 2007; Fighting Tommy Riley). Produced by Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, David Minkowski and Carmen Pepelea.
The movie stars Chris Pine (Wonder Woman 1984; Carriers; Star Trek franchise), Kiefer Sutherland, Ben Foster, Gillian Jacobs and Eddie Marsan.
Plot:
Special Forces Sergeant James Harper (Chris Pine) 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 shady 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…
Reviews:
” …the consistently baffling aspect here is that the filmmakers can’t make up their damn minds on whether the character should be broken and vulnerable or an espionage action hero. Despite the lack of logic, at least some hand-to-hand fight scenes and gunplay are tense and brutal. At times, The Contractor feels like someone trying to adapt a Tom Clancy video game…” Flickering Myth
“The Contractor may not have the greatest action scenes or ending, but its heart – which it wears on its sleeve — still makes it worth watching. Chris Pine gives a superb performance as a man who’s been forced to make some tough decisions after he was abandoned by the country he spent his whole life serving.” IGN
” …even with a couple of captivating action sequences and the occasional eyebrow-raising moment, it can’t free itself from its imagination-inhibiting shackles. Inevitably, it will end up falling into the well of oblivion as soon as the spectators leave the movie theatre.” 45/100 MHD [translated from Porteugese]
“While The Contractor is ultimately sort of a middling action thriller with strong performances to hold it afloat, the movie’s willingness to point out the flaws of the government, military, and patriotism is ultimately a nice change of pace from the usual hoo-rah. It will likely upset some of its audience who came in expecting to have their own egos stroked or daydreams fulfilled…” 6/10 Slash Film
“The Contractor does benefit from a solid performance by Pine in a role that’s a long way from the Star Trek and Wonder Woman films we’re used to seeing him in. It’s also nice to see him and Ben Foster working together again after Hell or High Water, but even they can’t elevate this above the middle of the pack.” 3/5 Voices from the Balcony
Release:
The Contractor will be released by Paramount theatrically in select locations and on Digital on April 1st 2022. Paramount+ and Showtime will stream the movie later in the year.
Main cast and confirmed characters:
Chris Pine … James Harper
Gillian Jacobs
Ben Foster
Kiefer Sutherland
Eddie Marsan
Florian Munteanu … Kaufman
Tait Fletcher … Dalton
Nina Hoss
Fares Fares … Salim Mohamed Mohsin
JD Pardo … Eric
Amira Casar
Alexej Manvelov … Asset
Tyner Rushing … Christine Denton
Matthew Marsh … Gray
Regina Ting Chen … Army Doctor
Cory Scott Allen … LTC Roberts
Brian Lafontaine … Captain
Dustin Lewis … Pastor
Nicolas Noblitt … Mike Jr.
Sander Thomas … Jack Harper
George Pistereanu … Carlos
Production:
Filmed in 2019 in the USA and Romania as Violence of Action
Trailer:
Clip:
MOVIES & MANIA rating:
