The Contract (released on July 24, 2007) is a taut survival thriller that leans heavily on the gravitas of its lead actors to elevate a classic “wrong man” scenario. Directed by Bruce Beresford, known for his nuanced character work in Driving Miss Daisy, the film takes a detour from the urban jungle into the rugged mountains of the Pacific Northwest.
While it follows the structural beats of a chase movie, it functions primarily as a psychological duel between two men from vastly different worlds.
The film eschews over-the-top pyrotechnics in favor of a grounded, gritty atmosphere that prioritizes the tension of the trek over simple action tropes.
Ray Keene (John Cusack) is a former police officer turned high school gym teacher who is struggling to reconnect with his estranged teenage son, Chris. Hoping to bridge the emotional gap between them, Ray takes Chris on a hiking trip into the deep wilderness.
However, their bonding session is violently interrupted when they stumble upon a crashed car in a river containing a dying federal agent and a high-profile prisoner: Frank Carden (Morgan Freeman). Carden is a world-class professional assassin and a former government operative who was being transported to face justice.
Before the agent dies, he tasks Ray with the responsibility of bringing Carden to the authorities. Ray, driven by a deep-seated sense of duty, begins the arduous journey through the mountains with the handcuffed assassin and his son in tow.
The situation is precarious; they are pursued by Carden’s elite mercenary team, led by cold-blooded professionals who will stop at nothing to retrieve their boss.
As the group navigates treacherous terrain, they encounter a pair of hikers, including Miles (Alice Krige) and Turner (Jonathan Hyde), who find themselves caught in the lethal crossfire.
The narrative becomes a high-stakes chess match as Carden uses his psychological prowess to manipulate Ray, offering him immense wealth in exchange for his freedom while the mercenaries close in.
Ray must protect his son and his principles against a man who is as charming as he is dangerous, leading to a final confrontation where the lines between hero and criminal are blurred by the necessity of survival.
John Cusack in The Contract (Photo/Millennium Films)
Reception for The Contract
The Contract grossed $5.5 million worldwide in its theatrical run.
Legacy
The legacy of The Contract is defined by the rare opportunity to see Freeman and Cusack play off one another in a confined, high-pressure environment.
It is remembered by fans of the genre as a polished, “adult” thriller that harkens back to the mid-budget suspense films of the 1990s.
The film is celebrated for its stunning cinematography, which utilizes the vast, unforgiving landscape to heighten the sense of isolation and peril.
While it did not receive a wide theatrical release in the United States, it has earned a respectable reputation on home video and streaming platforms as a solid, well-acted entry in the survival-thriller subgenre.
