FauxNixon

Goofy and ridiculous would be an apt description of The Contract, the 2006 thriller starring Morgan Freeman as Frank Carden and John Cusack as Ray Keene, directed by Bruce Beresford.  This is a very interesting mix of absolutely ridiculous plot points, cliches, and poor writing to prevent the good cast line-up from living up to their potential.  Carden is the leader of a mercenary team comprised of ex-military individuals who are all doing their parts to perpetuate the cliched view of such individuals as wise-cracking, tough guys constantly fighting for respect.

Keene is presently a gym teacher at the local high school, but conveniently enough was a member of the police force in the past.  When Carden is apprehended during a project with his group, he is transported to a bigger city to be sent to Washington, D.C., but, of course, his team strikes by blocking the road with a truck that somehow appears damaged.  Carden eventually finds himself in the custody of Keene in the wilderness (the last federal marshal who is dying gives this random person on a riverbank custody of a prisoner, his gun, and the keys to his handcuffs before finally dying…) with Keene’s son and what follows is a poorly-paced adventure of hiking and trees while avoiding Carden’s squad which convinces one of the police helicopters to land, kills the crew, and begins flying it on their own.

Eventually, after creating more ridiculous plot twists, the movie ends pretty abruptly.  Carden escapes, completes his job, and then Keene, his son, and the girlfriend of someone who died during the hiking trip, are seen at a barbecque with some flirtatious overtones!

This is a horrendous mess of a film.  I wanted to like it because it seemed so over-the-top that it was doing it intentionally as a satire (otherwise why pay Cusack- and Freeman-sized salaries?) but this proved to be a misguided judgment.