Mark Wahlberg’s Gritty Crime Thriller Is Officially a Netflix Hit
Mark Wahlberg’s 2012 crime thriller Contraband has become a notable Netflix success more than a decade after its cinema release, bringing the previously overlooked film to a wider audience. Its renewed popularity highlights how streaming can revive older films that received less attention than Wahlberg’s better-known dramas, such as The Departed and The Fighter.
A remake of the Icelandic film Reykjavík-Rotterdam, Contraband stars Wahlberg as former smuggler Chris Farraday, who returns to criminal activity after his brother-in-law mishandles a drug deal. To protect his family from a ruthless boss, he plans a smuggling run to Panama involving counterfeit money, while facing criminals, police and hired killers. Directed by Baltasar Kormákur, the cast also includes Kate Beckinsale, Ben Foster, Giovanni Ribisi, Diego Luna and J.K. Simmons.
- Contraband has found a new audience on Netflix.
- Wahlberg plays a former smuggler protecting his family.
- The 2012 thriller is a remake of an Icelandic film.
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Contraband is a crime thriller about Chris Farraday, a former smuggler who has left illegal work behind to live with his wife and children. When a relative’s failed drug deal puts the family in danger, he is drawn back into the criminal world for one last attempt to settle the debt.
The film was directed by Baltasar Kormákur and is an English-language remake of the Icelandic film Reykjavík-Rotterdam. Mark Wahlberg plays Chris, alongside Kate Beckinsale as his wife, while Ben Foster, Giovanni Ribisi, Diego Luna and J.K. Simmons play figures connected to the smuggling operation.
Its story follows the risks involved in moving illegal goods and counterfeit money between the United States and Panama. The film also reflects a familiar crime-thriller theme: a person trying to protect their family while dealing with the consequences of a past life.