52
Metascore
19 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70IGNIGNThe Contractor may have an underwhelming conclusion, but the journey to get there is an emotional one, with a strong performance by Chris Pine.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenThe Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenDirector Tarik Saleh, whose previous feature was the excellent Cairo-set neo-noir The Nile Hilton Incident, stages the shoot-’em-ups and explosions effectively, but it’s the film’s quiet exchanges that carry the most visceral punch.
- 70VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyBeing a solid cut above average is good enough, given so much formulaic mediocrity among thrillers cluttering the streaming market.
- 67The Film StageJared MobarakThe Film StageJared MobarakWhile billed as an action film, The Contractor proves more suspense thriller in the end.
- 60Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshLos Angeles TimesKatie WalshThe Contractor is decidedly Pine’s film. His performance is as efficient as the script, which Saleh mirrors with a crisp, smooth aesthetic. There’s nothing particularly showy about the style, but it serves the story of this professional warrior working his way through an unfamiliar place.
- 50Screen DailyTim GriersonScreen DailyTim GriersonThis unfussy action-thriller has a lot of Jason Bourne in its bloodstream, with director Tarik Saleh focusing on taut pacing and crisp sequences. But despite some solid craftsmanship, the film never fully transcends what is familiar about the setup — much like the titular hero, The Contractor gives its all, possibly in vain.
- 50The A.V. ClubCourtney HowardThe A.V. ClubCourtney HowardEven moderately seasoned viewers will find few surprises in its twists and turns, and little to excite them on a purely visceral level. That leaves Pine and Foster as the constant—and a reliable one—in this emerging cinematic universe of theirs, but even they might not be enough in this to earn another installment this time around.
- 42The PlaylistKevin JagernauthThe PlaylistKevin JagernauthA thriller of divided ambitions, that earnestly wants to Say Something Important about the mistreatment of combat veterans by the very government that sends them to war, while also flirting with the opportunity for franchise potential, resulting in a film distinctly cleaved in two, unsatisfying halves.
- 38Slant MagazineMark HansonSlant MagazineMark HansonThe film’s rote action-movie plotting is calibrated in a ponderously straight-faced way so as to give it some semblance of gravity.