Pulling him away from the comic book realm of DC’s Wonder Woman, The Contractor sees Chris Pine taking on the role of a father that goes to desperate, and deadly, measures to provide for his family.
The Contractor is another product of the partnership between Pine and Paramount (via STX Films). Pine has previously found success with the long-time production studio on the Star Trek films, a franchise that will expand with Pine in the future according to a recent report from Variety.
But before Pine boldly goes back into the Star Trek universe as the legendary Captain Kirk, moviegoers should prepare to call him Special Forces Sergeant James Harper.
Here’s what we know about The Contractor.
When is The Contractor release date?
The Contractor makes an official debut in theaters on Friday, April 1.
Those that have been following the movie closely will recall the project’s original release date was December 10, 2021. A date that would have pitted the movie against the now award-winning West Side Story and the Lucille Ball-inspired piece, Being the Ricardos. After The Contractor’s premiere was reset for March 18, the movie's premiere was again postponed to its current official release date April 1.
When The Contractor debuts, it will do so in a limited number of US theaters, while simultaneously being available across premium video-on-demand platforms. The movie is slated to arrive on Showtime and Paramount Plus later in the year.
More information about a UK release date is expected to be available soon.
The Contractor reviews
So what are critics saying with The Contractor reviews?
What to Watch's The Contractor review praises Chris Pine's complex character portrayal, but doesn't think the rest of the movie lives up to it.
General consensus seems to be along the same lines. The Contractor currently (as of April 1) has a 44% "Rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Over at Metacritic the movie is scoring a 50, a "mixed" rating.
The Contractor plot
In the action-thriller The Contractor, Chris Pine stars as Special Forces Sergeant James Harper, a man that was involuntarily discharged from the US military, cutting him off from his pension and as he is heavily in debt. Deciding he has run out of options in caring for his family, the desperate veteran takes a contract job with a private underground military force.
Unfortunately, his first assignment doesn’t go as planned, and the elite soldier soon finds himself caught in the middle of a dangerous conspiracy. Harper must find out how he wound up in this predicament and who placed him in it. That is if he can stay alive long enough.
The Contractor trailer
The Contractor gives viewers a better sense of what drives Chris Pine’s character, James Harper, to get involved in an underhanded network. A veteran devalued by the country he served and unable to provide for his family can become desperate enough to work for the shadiest of organizations.
The Contractor cast
Once more, leading The Contractor cast is Chris Pine. Pine is not a novice to action sequences given his work in the Star Trek films, Wonder Woman and Hell or High Water. Coincidentally, the latter movie was a project that The Contractor actor Ben Foster also starred in.
Joining the talent of Pine and Foster, is Jack Bauer himself, Kiefer Sutherland. April will turn out to be quite the month for Sutherland as he’s also set to debut in the Showtime series The First Lady as President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Other notable stars of the film include Gillian Jacobs (Community), Eddie Marsan (The World’s End), JD Pardo (Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn) and Florian Munteanu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings).
The Contractor director
The Contractor is directed by Tarik Saleh. This is probably the biggest movie that Saleh has helmed thus far in this career, though he does have some high profile TV directing credits to his resume, including directing episodes for Showtime's Ray Donovan and HBO's Westworld.
