Contraband




The movie was every bit the action thriller: police storming cargo vessels in choppers and fastcrafts, testosterone-charged bust-ups, stand-offs with lots of gunfire.

And the many narrow escapes: vessel anchored at the very last moment just as it shaves the dock, speeding back to the vessel just before it leaves, fleeing the cabin before the captain returns, finding the wife before the cement buries her alive.

The suspense was immense, coupled with the hasten rhythm of the background audio, delivers bouts of adrenaline throughout the movie.

But the movie goes deeper than brute action.

Retired smuggler Chris Farraday (Mark Wahlberg) was forced to pull off one last job to ensure the safety of his wife and kids. Tapping on his experience and intelligence, he outwits both the police and the bad guys, culminating in the classic happy ending where he survives the ordeal and makes off with the loot.

Interestingly, there was some simple science embedded in the plot.



On leafing the counterfeit notes, Farraday sensed a difference in the paper material. He summoned for iodine solution, applied a drop and the spot turned blue, confirming his suspicion that the notes were printed on starch paper. The blue colour is due to the formation of the starch-iodine complex.


When the cops raided the vessel, they had to get rid of the stacks of uncut counterfeit notes temporarily. Solution? Farraday tied them to bags of salt and disposed them into the sea. The weight of the salt would cause the notes to sink to the bottom escaping detection but as the salt dissolves overtime, the reduction in weight would cause the notes to eventually float to the surface for retrieval.

The movie is equivalent to a good man; brawns plus brains. Thank you UIP and omy for invite.

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