The Contractor

I first saw the poster of this movie in Marymount MRT, I then did an online search and found out this is a movie about an involuntarily discharged army becoming a private contractor to foot the expenditure of his family. I've been hesitating for days whether this is worth the movie ticket to watch in the cinema, but in the end, I decided I deserve a treat so I bought a 9.50pm ticket on a weekday night to watch. Well, as the trailer honestly revealed, things went awry and he rebelled and became the target of the mission instead. 

Come to think of it, if I were to relook at the trailer and the plot of the story, this is, as the name of the movie suggests, a movie about 'the contractor'. It's not a thriller or suspense movie, it's not even an action-packed movie. The trailer of the movie or the synopsis released never suggested that the protagonist uncovered some sinister plot; nor was it anywhere mentioned a betrayal of any kind. 

This is a movie about 'the contractor'. I repeat. This is a movie about 'the contractor'. It's not a primarily thriller or action film, it's a story about 'the contractor'. The movie started off slow, but once he picked up the private contract, it picked up a little pace, but it sadly tapered off after the Berlin chase which then led to a not-very-surprising reveal and a quite anti-climatic ending.

Overall, I kinda enjoy the movie and the story, but I guess I went to watch it with too high an expectation so I am a bit disappointed. There could have been a lot more action/combat scenes. Seriously, the combat in this movie is sorely lacking, which is why I said this is not an action movie. This is a movie that relies heavily on Chris Pine's handsome face to sell because the focus is really entirely on his character. 

I would rate it 6/10 for what I consider extreme lack of action scene that's unbecoming of a film in this genre, but give it a little generously above average mark because of Chris Pine's performance and the details - the camouflage, the escape details, the dodging etc - seem pretty meticulous. This might be a forgettable film for many. For me, it's just alright. Don't expect it to be anything like James Bond or Jason Bourne, and you might enjoy it.