Reviewers are torn on The Contractor, the Bourne-like thriller starring Chris Pine
The first reviews for The Contractor are in. The upcoming action movie, out in cinemas and on digital storefronts from April 1, sees Chris Pine channel his inner Jason Bourne as James Harper. Facing the possibility of being destitute and with a family to support, Harper’s murky dealings with an underground military operation soon spiral out of control as he faces a fight to stay alive.
Unfortunately for those expecting a John Wick-style surprise hit, The Contractor – according to critics, anyway – is a more predictable by-the-numbers affair that does at least find merit in a strong performance from Chris Pine and action sequences marshalled home by director Tarik Saleh.
"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. It’s an emotional examination of how others can take advantage of us at our weakest, but also how our love for those we hold dear can make the impossible happen."
"Throughout The Contractor there is an air of rigorous yet forgettable competence. Director Tarik Saleh acquits himself well in his first job with an A-list actor. The action sequences are clear-eyed and well-executed if workmanlike, and cinematographer Pierre Aim accomplishes the objective of contrasting picket-fence America with the grimier corners of Berlin. But straining through it all is a reach that Saleh can’t grasp, a film aching to present big ideas and a rich discourse that just isn’t found in the screenplay by J.P. Davis. The Contractor shows its hand with a bullet-riddled and
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