The Contractor (2007) (V)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Josef Rusnak

Writers (WGA):

Robert Foster (screenplay) and
Joshua Michael Stern (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

10 July 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The world's greatest marksman is now a marked man...

Plot:

An ex-CIA agent is asked to take out a terrorist, only to realize he's been set up by his former employer.

Plot Keywords:

Framed | Marksman | London England | Shot In The Head | Airport

Cast

Wesley Snipes	...	James Dial
Eliza Bennett	...	Emily Day
Lena Headey	...	DI Annette Ballard
Ralph Brown	...	Jeremy Collins
Charles Dance	...	DCS Andrew Windsor
Gemma Jones	...	Mrs. Day
Iain Robertson	...	Cramston
Richard Harrington	...	Terry Mitchell
Ryan McCluskey	...	Purcell
John Standing	...	Sir Anthony
Stanimir Stamatov	...	King
Milos Miroslav	...	Harris (as Miroslav Emilov)
Velizar Binev	...	Beloit
Nikolai Sotirov	...	Ali Mahmud Jahar (as Nikolay Sotirov)
Peter Kerry Morgan	...	Newscaster

Also Known As:

The Shooter (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

UK:105 min

Country:

Bulgaria | UK | USA

Language:

English

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Singapore:PG | Australia:MA | UK:15 | Netherlands:12 | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Bulgaria

Company:

April Productions

Trivia:

Michael Biehn was scheduled to appear in this movie but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts with Planet Terror (2007).

Goofs:

Errors in geography: In the closing scene, where James Dial is seen leaving London, the train he is shown boarding is clearly not British and the Bulgarian Railways logo is clearly visible as it is seen departing.

Movie Connections:

References The Mistress of Spices (2005)

Soundtrack:

Holding Out For More

Fun but dumb

Wesley Snipes is James Dial, an assassin for hire, agent of the CIA and pure bad-ass special operative. During his free time Dial dons a cowboy hat and breeds horses with such macho names such as Beauty.

Enter agent Collins, his supervising officer. Enter a new assignment - kill a terrorist that is in UK custody. Of course the United Kingdom being an allied state is a great place for covert ops and head-shots outside of courtrooms.

The assassination is a big success apart from the fact, that the escape plan blew. So Dial's partner and local liaison gets killed in action trying to escape the police, whilst Dial becomes hot property with the London coppers trying to get to him and CIA trying to dispose of him.

Fortunately for Dial the safe-house is routinely visited by a teenager Emily Day (Eliza Bennett), who loves hanging out with cold-blooded killers with arrest warrants and help them escape from the evil UK law enforcement...

With a script like that need I say more? On the plus side Wesley Snipes is Wesley Snipes (be that a pro or a con) and the movie is quite engaging. On the minus editing is very disjointing and has a hurl effect on the stomach.