A remake of the Icelandic thriller Reykjavik-Rotterdam – which nobody has seen so thankfully comparisons are not necessary – this Hollywood version sees Mark Whalberg’s ex-smuggler return to his previous life of crime in order to help free his brother-in-law (an unconvincing Caleb Landry Jones) from the debt of a moral-lacking drug kingpin (Giovanni Ribisi hamming it up). Also on board is the under-used Kate Beckinsale as Whalberg’s concerned wife, Ben Foster as a rehabilitated mate and J.K. Simmons in an absurd role as the Captain of the ship that hosts the bulk of the felony. There’s nothing in Baltasar Kormakur’s (who, bizarrely, was the star of the original) largely run-of-the-mill flick that will blow your mind – and the few moments of real awesomeness are in the trailer – but with a cracking soundtrack and a likeable central turn from Marky Mark, Contraband is a competent time-waster that hurtles along at such a pace you’ll not realise how daft the story was until after the credits roll
