Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
After being involuntarily discharged from the U.S. Special Forces, James Harper decides to support his family by joining a private contracting organization alongside his best friend and under the command of a fellow veteran. Overseas on a covert mission, Harper must evade those trying to kill him while making his way back home.
The Contractor is a competent but formulaic action-thriller that treads well-worn ground. The plot follows a predictable betrayal-and-survival arc with few surprises, recycling familiar beats from the ex-military contractor genre. Chris Pine delivers a grounded performance above what the material demands, and the supporting cast (Ben Foster, Kiefer Sutherland) adds credibility, lifting the acting above the script's limitations. Cinematography is serviceable with some decent location work in Berlin and Europe, but nothing visually distinctive. Novelty is low — the premise and execution closely mirror dozens of similar films. The ending is underwhelming, resolving threads too neatly without sufficient dramatic payoff for the journey endured.