Contract (2006)

"...[Cusack and Freeman] deliver the quality performances that you'd expect.  Vince Leo, Qwipster's Movie Reviews

Editor's Note Though Oscar winner Morgan Freeman is best known for playing noble characters in films such as MILLION DOLLAR BABY and THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, he goes over to the dark side for this thriller. John Cusack (1408) plays Ray Keene, a father who organizes a hiking trip so he can get closer to his son after his wife's passing. But their vacation is interrupted by the arrival of a brutal hit man (Freeman), who will do anything to collect his fee as a contract killer. THE CONTRACT reunites Freeman with his DRIVING MISS DAISY director Bruce Beresford, who also directed the tense film DOUBLE JEOPARDY.

	Jamie Anderson
	John Cusack
	Morgan Freeman
	Ned Bellamy
	Alexei Karagyaur - Art Director
	Bruce Beresford - Director
	Dante Spinotti - Cinematographer
	Herbert Pinter - Production Designer
	John Darrouzet - Writer
	Mark Warner - Editor
	Normand Corbeil - Original Music By
	Randall Emmett - Producer
	Sonya Savova - Art Director
	Stephen Katz - Writer

The Fresh Site 6 of 10
Bruce Beresford is not an untalented director, and don't let this movie fool you into thinking so. But there's little doubt that, despite some useful suspense and a fair if completely unimaginative script, The Contract is a film halted by bad craftmanship. The old pun 'haste makes waste' seems to be appropriate for this little film, as it runs along uncritically, skipping important justifications and forgetting about issues like character motivation in the process. Shot on beautiful Bulgarian terrain (which may or may not resemble Washington state to an acceptable degree), the film looks good but feels like a classic B-movie. The only exception is Morgan Freeman, whose natural grace and skill makes the film watchable. - Fredrik Fevang