The Contract

This is proof that an otherwise good movie can be hampered by not enough script re-writes (or maybe too many?). The dialogue is laughable and laudable.

The writer's style is such that the lines are delivered in a very staccato style: A quips to B, B responds with quip to A. There are no real "conversations" in the movie, and it makes it had to develop any of the back-story of the characters. "Quips" about someone's past are usually quickly dismissed into the script, never to be seen again.

Some of the movie made me laugh, it was so poorly written. In a scene where a death occurs, there was no emotional outburst from their family member. It was crazy, and felt very rushed, like the director or writer was trying to push us forward quickly to the next scene, without slowing the camera down and exploring the actor's emotions.

Badly written. C-

Sure it is not a great movie but it is much better than the reviews on here would have you believe. It was an enjoyable hour and a half of entertainment.

This film is about the chase between cops, assassin's associates, assassin and an ex-cop.

The plot is very simple. Run, run and run. Apart from the constant displacement, there is really not much more to the film. As a result, there is no room to develop the characters. The dialog is weak. The only line that had some depth was when Chris exclaimed that he never thought his father listened to him.

The suspense looks too artificial. Why must they climb down the cliff in pouring rain? Is there really no alternative route? The editing was not tight enough to allow the suspense to sustain. Female nudity is put into the film in such a way that seems totally out of place and unnecessary.

In the end, Morgan Freeman's and John Cusack's characters developed respect and sympathy for each other. This could have been portrayed in more detail.

The only redeeming feature is the beautiful scenery. The valleys and waterfalls are breathtaking.

You won't see anything new in this movie. If you've seen some thrillers, than you will foresee a few things. Surprisingly enough that doesn't hurt the movie as much as I thought it would. That might be the case, because you've got Morgan Freeman and John Cusack in the movie. They play very good at/off each other. And although, there are a few bumps in the thrill ride, they obtain the high adrenaline level almost every single time.

I had mixed feelings about the ending, but then again some might think it's perfect. Others might not like it at all and it might spoil all the fun they might have had up until that point ...

Anyway, it's a nice little thriller with good acting in it! :o)

Every once in a while, they release another movie about a government agent going on the run from his supposed friends (Sydney Pollack's "Three Days of the Condor" brought the genre to its apex 32 years ago, owing in part to widespread distrust of the government at the time). "The Contract" is one such movie, with Morgan Freeman on the run and John Cusack trying to help him. If you turn on the movie not expecting any kind of masterpiece (or not expecting much at all), you won't be a bit disappointed. I could predict much if not most of what was going to happen.

What I found most fascinating about this movie is that it was filmed in Bulgaria. I never would have guessed that that country looks so much like the Pacific Northwest (the setting seriously did look like Washington and Oregon).

But mostly, this is the sort of movie that you rent if there's nothing else to watch. Though in the thick of things, I will say that "Did you learn how to fly in Disneyland?!!!!!" was a pretty entertaining line. Also starring Jonathan Hyde and Bill Smitrovich.