The Contractor

Name: The Contractor
Genre: Action, Thriller
Released: April 1, 2022
Duration: 103 min
Rating: 52
Cast: Ben Foster, Chris Pine, Eddie Marsan, Fares Fares, Florian Munteanu

2022

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 37 Ratings

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5.6

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5.6	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 37 Ratings

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The Contractor

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Movie Details & Credits

Paramount Pictures | Release Date: April 1, 2022 | R

Starring: Ben Foster, Chris Pine, Eddie Marsan, Fares Fares, Florian Munteanu, Gillian Jacobs, J.D. Pardo, Kiefer Sutherland, Nina Hoss, Tait Fletcher

Summary: Special Forces Sergeant James Harper (Chris Pine) is involuntarily discharged from the Army and cut-off from his pension. In debt, out of options and desperate to provide for his family, Harper contracts with a private underground military force. When the very first assignment goes awry, the elite soldier finds himself hunted and on theSpecial Forces Sergeant James Harper (Chris Pine) is involuntarily discharged from the Army and cut-off from his pension. In debt, out of options and desperate to provide for his family, Harper contracts with a private underground military force. When the very first assignment goes awry, the elite soldier finds himself hunted and on the run, caught in a dangerous conspiracy and fighting to stay alive long enough to get home and uncover the true motives of those who betrayed him. … Expand

Director: Tarik Saleh

Genre(s): Action, Thriller

Rating: R

Runtime: 103 min

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Critic Reviews

Bobby LePire

Apr 1, 2022

The core cast, Pine and Foster especially, are superb, while the screenplay gives them plenty to chew on. At a quickly moving 105 minutes, the film is worth the time investment. Read full review

Adam Bankhurst

Mar 28, 2022

The Contractor may have an underwhelming conclusion, but the journey to get there is an emotional one, with a strong performance by Chris Pine. Read full review

Sheri Linden

Mar 28, 2022

Director Tarik Saleh, whose previous feature was the excellent Cairo-set neo-noir The Nile Hilton Incident, stages the shoot-’em-ups and explosions effectively, but it’s the film’s quiet exchanges that carry the most visceral punch. Read full review

Slashfilm Danielle Ryan

Mar 28, 2022

The Contractor challenges expectations in many ways, it just never goes quite far enough. Read full review

Fran Hoepfner

Mar 31, 2022

Though the first act of The Contractor is its lengthiest, the lazy pace does nothing to enrich the lives of the characters who we know are at stake. The action that follows is quick and cramped; sequences that should feel heart-pounding are, instead, dark and erratic. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Brian Tallerico

Apr 1, 2022

The problem is that writer J.P. Davis and director Tarik Saleh seem afraid to do anything interesting or unexpected once they have their pieces in place. Read full review

Joe Morgenstern

Mar 31, 2022

This film is what it is, a particularly generic genre piece that the bean counters at a once-great studio must have had reason to believe would turn a profit, mostly in the foreign market. Very possibly it will. Read full review

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User Reviews

Siggipop

Apr 2, 2022

Amazing job on Chris pines part! I love seeing him and Ben foster together, they have gets chemistry. The pacing is perfect, and it hits the ground running. Cinematography is great and bert kuntz the spec ops specialist taught everyone in the movie how to properly use weapons. So fun toAmazing job on Chris pines part! I love seeing him and Ben foster together, they have gets chemistry. The pacing is perfect, and it hits the ground running. Cinematography is great and bert kuntz the spec ops specialist taught everyone in the movie how to properly use weapons. So fun to watch! Can’t wait for the sequel!… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

Luke08

May 7, 2022

Gritty but well-rounded, realistic plot and action, engaging. Minimal nonsense. Remarkable performance by Chris.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Drtom

Apr 14, 2022

This is a much better movie than the reviews suggest. There is nearly nonstop action but also a good storyline. Betrayal is rampant with Kiefer Sutherland leading the pack. Chris Pine does a great job as do the other top actors. Highly recommended!

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

PurpleCrayon4U

Apr 1, 2022

It was nice to see Chris Pine redeem himself from the cacastorm known as Wonder Woman 1984. It was nice to see Ben Foster, albeit in a typecasted role. It's always good to see Kiefer Sutherland on screen, instead of in the bar. J. P. Davis hasn't written much, but this project it's prettyIt was nice to see Chris Pine redeem himself from the cacastorm known as Wonder Woman 1984. It was nice to see Ben Foster, albeit in a typecasted role. It's always good to see Kiefer Sutherland on screen, instead of in the bar. J. P. Davis hasn't written much, but this project it's pretty much a cookie cutter tale. Some scenes were rushed and the ending was more 'Oops, used up the budget - gotta go.' I'll give Chris Pine the benefit of a good outing on this one, as it has been 2 years since he stretched his legs. Ben Foster need to do a musical, a children's television show - anything but the same worn out character he keeps getting cast for. Kiefer Sutherland needs to demand more screen time on his next films, as he was barely a visual in this project.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

JLuis_001

Apr 3, 2022

The Contractor is not a story that can boast originality. Neither in its narrative approach, nor in its main character, nor in its action style, so the only thing left is to hope that at least the quality of it won't be underwhelming. The Contractor has some efficient things going for it,The Contractor is not a story that can boast originality. Neither in its narrative approach, nor in its main character, nor in its action style, so the only thing left is to hope that at least the quality of it won't be underwhelming. The Contractor has some efficient things going for it, but overall it's nothing more than a mid-scale action exercise.
Though on that scale its weight leans on something more solvent and entertaining than a mediocre and inoperative formula as is usually the case with most thrillers of this caliber destined for streaming.

Perhaps it doesn't end up being a hugely positive thing because there were more interesting things to explore in a story like this, such as the exploitation of ex-military personnel by the mercenary industry.
Plus the film completely shies away from making any kind of inflammatory political commentary.
The Contractor is comfortable with simply being an action flick to pass the time, but its weaknesses end up taking their toll in the end. It simply wasn't going to be able to escape from it. Chris Pine is believable in the lead role, but it doesn't give him any identity, and any other middling actor in the genre could have played this role.
I wouldn't say it's a loss for him, but you can't call it a gain for his resume either.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

MarkTakayama

Nov 19, 2022

Actions are okay. The plot is boring. The actors are good. Everything is 5 stars.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

MetacriticOnur

Apr 4, 2022

bad
[ bad ]

adjective, worse, worst;(Slang) bad·der, bad·dest for 36.
not good in any manner or degree.

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

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