THE CONTRACT (2006)
**1/2
Rated R (for violence and some nudity)
96 min.
written by: Steven Katz & John Darrouzet
produced by: Randall Emmett, George Furla, Ave Lerner, Danny Lerner, Andreas Schmid & Les Weldon
directed by: Bruce Beresford
I was perusing the isles of my local rental spot when I came across this movie on the new release shelf. I saw the two actors in it and I thought to myself, "Huh? Why haven't I heard of this?" Now, I feel I kinda have the geek factor of knowing quite a bit about films and all that, but there I was starring curiously at the DVD case for a movie I'd never heard of. I'm always looking to find a movie that quite possibly no one has seen or is little known and well, there it was. If you've ever wondering what it takes for a movie to feature two A-list, award-winning actors and a well-respected, Oscar-nominated director and still wind up going straight to video, well this is the movie for you.
With director Bruce Beresford ("Driving Miss Daisy" & "Tender Mercies") behind the camera, one would think that the film would get at least limited release, maybe even treat it like an indie film. But, alas, Millennium Films & First Look Films couldn't be bothered with granting it a theatrical distribution in the States. (The company did give the movie a slight release throughout portions of Europe before exiling it to DVD here, a business model in which Millennium has much expertise.) The film cost $25,000,000 and I'm gonna have to imagine that makes the it one of the most expensive, star-heavy direct-to-video releases yet.
I don't see why the studios opted to skip the multiplexes entirely, I mean, there really are a fair share of crap movies out there anyway. This film doesn't even come close to most of the mediocre drivel in theatres. Sure, this is a formulaic thriller and a predictable one-note affair but it's solid acting by two great actors and some decent character acting as well. All the write ups I've seen on the movie, basically felt that the films stars barely seem interested and Beresford only provides enough tension to keep the story mildly awake. I dunno bout that. It has a solid "normal-guy-forced-into-a-situation" feel to it that was enjoyable enough. Sometimes, that's all I need....good acting and a decent plot.
Frank Carden (Morgan Freeman) is the sort of slick, sophisticated professional assassin that always show up in movies. Except he's played by Freeman (who certainly has fun with the role) who can play scary assassin quite well while also allowing the viewer to even like him somewhat. That's why actors choose to play "the bad guy" roles, it's fun and more to play with. You know the type: former government agent gone bad. Elegant manners and sophisticated wardrobe. Never caught, despite the umpteen dollars he spends and umpteen people he publicly kills during his assignments. I'm not gonna gripe about whether or not people like this actually exist in the real world. I know it's a movie. Anyway, Carden has a shifty four man ex-military crew working for him on a job in Washington State, something about a hit on a wealthy millionaire or something. Doesn't matter, it's a job. There's a new guy on the crew and right away we see that this just isn't as loyal as the other three and you just know that this is gonna come to play later on. Before he can start his latest job, Carden winds up in a car wreck that puts him in a small town hospital (where a guy coming in on a gurney with a gun is something to take notice) and in the custody of the local cops. The local sheriff (played by Bill Smitrovich, one of my favorite character actors that you've seen all over) makes some calls and discovers who Carden is and that he's wanted by the suits in D.C. and by the feds. Despite Carden's being the most dangerous man in the nation, the sheriff figures there's no need for tight security while transferring him to the feds, which explains how Frank's henchmen are able to stage a break-out on the highway. Ah, but the break-out goes bad, as Frank's car crashes into the river, where he is rescued by Ray Keene (John Cusack) and his teenage son Chris (Jamie Anderson). Ray's wife died two years ago from cancer and his relationship with Chris has been strained with Chris recently getting busted for pot. So Ray takes Chris for a weekend camping trip, which is promptly interrupted by the arrival of a handcuffed hitman floating in the river with his fed custodian. Once he realizes the situation, Ray, a former cop now high school gym teacher, takes the fed's gun and cuff keys and takes Carden as his prisoner. Carden patiently explains that Ray is in over his head and that "this is out of your league" (something that we the viewer already know) which makes his new captor all the more stubborn and determined. 
What follows is the formulaic wilderness pursuit which I'm always a sucker for in movies like "Shoot to Kill" "Cliffhanger" "First Blood" and "The Hunted". So, Carden's crew keeps trying to kill Ray and Chris while he tries to smooth talk his way to freedom. After a while both Ray and Chris aren't falling for it. Meanwhile, the feds led by an agent named Miles (an underused Alice Krige) try to lend a hand while treating the sheriff and local Washington law enforcement with a begrudging stereotypical manner. Ray and Chris do their best to avoid the feds/henchmen crossfire, along the way they encounter a hiker (Megan Dowd) and her boyfriend (and you just know something is gonna happen to one of them). Ray encourages they join them since Carden's men are on their trail and will assuredly take out anyone on their way. Throughout all this the goal of father/son bonding is met as Chris gains a new appreciation for his dad. Carden even becomes just enough of a not-so-bad-guy (thanks to Freeman's smooth handling) to almost make you root for him. There's also a really weak subplot about a possible presidential assassination, but that thread barely even registers.
The whole film is competent enough to deliver a good enough suspense thriller and action movie, but that's about it. It's well-made and well-acted, from the at least but only to the point where Freeman and Cusack, knowing they're working with a mediocre script, are content to make the best of it. Anderson does a great job in his acting debut as Cusack's troubled son. Even Washington's mountainous wilderness becomes a character as Beresford takes everyone through wooded and rocky terrain and serene waters. Unfortunately, he does little if anything unique with this terrain, still I was mesmerized (as I always am) by a story set in any natural environment.
Perhaps the screenplay, by Stephen Katz and John Darrouzet, was so by-the-numbers not even Freeman and Cusack could rescue it. After all, "The Contract" is little more than a by-the-numbers compilation of hackneyed themes, one-dimensional characters, and suitable tension. It's nothing you haven't already seen before a hundred times, and there's no need to make it one hundred and one unless you're a fan of these actors and (like me) are curious to see what they do with what they're given. Overall, it's a serviceable but unremarkable suspense thriller. Worth the rent if it piques your interest but only if you wanna two fine actors do what they can with mediocre material.