The Contractor (UHD Blu-ray) review

[David Vaughn]

Studio: Paramount
Release Date: June 7, 2022
Rating: R
Film: 3.5/5
 
Plot
 Chris Pine stars in the action-packed thriller as Special Forces Sergeant James Harper, who 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.
 
My Thoughts
 I had no preconceptions going into this film because in all honesty, I’d never heard of it. From the outset, you get the feeling that this is a different type of action movie with the first act being very dramatic and a slow burn showing how Harper’s life is in shambles due to a knee injury from one of his deployments. When he meets up with an old friend (Ben Foster) at a funeral, his financial problems could be in the past if he starts doing some private contracting work, even though his wife is against the move.
 
The third act has a lot of potential but falls short in a lot of areas. First, there are a lot of plot holes. While we know that Harper is ex special forces, he turns into a combination of Jason Bourne and James Bond with his ability to avoid detection and navigate around in a foreign country. Additionally, the ending is rather brisk and tidy as if the screenwriter wasn’t sure how to end things.
 
The presentation is top-notch, other than the fact that there isn’t an Atmos or DTS:X track. Regardless, I enjoyed the audio a lot with some reference-quality imaging and of course, some great LFE with the gunfights.

 Video 9/10 (MVC)
 
Audio 9/10 (DTS-HD MA 5.1)
 
 Special Features:
 
·        Digital Copy
 
         
 
 

 Conclusion
While enjoyable, this one had the ability to be a much better film if the third act was fleshed out a bit more. Rarely do I think a movie should be longer, but in this case, an additional 15-20 minutes would have gone a long way to enhance the experience. Despite its lackluster ending, I would still give it a viewing, especially if you’re a fan of Pine or Foster—both are excellent in their respective roles. Furthermore, the presentation is quite good, especially the LFE response.
 
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 88” 16x9 Fixed Screen
Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: URC MX-990
M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
M&K Sound X15+ Subwoofer
Dual JL Audio F-110 (stacked and treated as one sub)
Mini DSP HD controlling all subwoofers
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner

[bmoney]

Watched Tim his the other night. Agreed. Had potential but just flopped. Not a terrible movie tho

[Ralph P.]

Greetings,

Thanks Dave. I rated it a hair lower but, generally agree with your comments. I wasn't bowled over by the video quality (it was fine overall) but, agree that the lossless track was quite good.


Regards,

[David Vaughn]

Thanks for chiming in Ralph.