The Contractor (2007) (V)

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:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When James is going through security at the airport, the voice of the guard screening him was clearly dubbed by another actor. None of his lip movements match what is heard on the soundtrack.

Movie Connections:

References The Mistress of Spices (2005)

Soundtrack:

Holding Out For More

Not if it ain't an action movie

Every film has a heart. Some hearts are more special than the others. But you are bound to get a wrong impression if you draw your inference without knowing where the heart is.

To the plebeian crowd, if Wesley Snipes is on the poster, that means some semi-mindless non-stop action, with a streak of silly humour once in a while, is coming their way. But Wesley never signed an agreement about that, did he now? This is not an action film, though you see some action in it.

First of all, it is a very low budget film, so don't go all tough and smart criticizing it. Those B-movies, which come to TV only late at night because other slots are for those blockbusters, can certainly not be measured against The Art of War or Blade. The Contractor is a simple, low budget film that shows a little girl's bond with an assassin, whose mission has gone wrong and who has fallen the prey of his own employers. While the action sequences and other things are inadvertently done, very special care has been taken of those moments that reflect the warmth of feelings. Lena Heady was not a necessary recruit for this film, her role any pretty face could play. But I like her, so I am glad she did it.

Some low budget, non-famous films sometimes leave lasting impressions. Maybe they fail overall in box office and audience poll, but sometimes there can be very heartfelt elements in such films. I watched it late at night and liked it for what it is. I was not disappointed for what it was not. Because if I wanted someone other film, I would watch some other film.

But of course, idiots have minds (and comments on IMDb) of their own.