The Contractor
Encyclopedia
The Contractor is a direct-to-DVD action film
starring Wesley Snipes
and Lena Headey
, and directed by Josef Rusnak in 2007 in Bulgaria
and the UK.
) is living his life in seclusion on his ranch in Montana
when he is offered the chance to redeem himself by his former employer, Jeremy Collins (Ralph Brown
). A few years ago, Dial was seconds away from taking down notorious terrorist cell leader Ali Mahmud Jahar (Nikolai Sotirov) when a distraction allowed Jahar to escape, marking the mission as a failure. Now, Collins wants Dial to eliminate Jahar, who has been captured and is now in the custody of the police
in London
, England
.
Provided with a safe house, passports, and an assistant named Terry Mitchell (Richard Harrington), Dial is off to London to finish what he started years ago. Disguised as a priest
, Dial gets in position in a church's bell tower
across the street from the building that Jahar is being brought into.
When Jahar is brought out of his transport truck, his head is covered by a jacket, leaving Dial without a clean shot. Not wanting to fail again, Dial patiently waits for his opportunity. After Jahar is taken inside the building, Dial attaches a special sight to his rifle so he can see through the window, and he kills Jahar with a shot to the head. Because of a delay caused by a pair of cops, Mitchell is late bringing the getaway car, and that brings attention to them fleeing the scene.
After numerous attempts to stop the car, the police open fire on them, killing Mitchell. The car, now out of control, comes to a crashing stop, injuring Dial. Bleeding profusely, Dial makes his way to the safe house, where he meets curious 12-year-old neighbor Emily Day (Eliza Bennett
), who lives with her grandmother (Gemma Jones
).
Emily helps Dial stop the bleeding. Even though Jahar was eliminated, the mission was a failure to Collins because Dial was observed fleeing the scene on a security camera. In the USA, Collins is being investigated for running a CIA Hit Squad, and if word gets back about Dial and the death of Jahar, Collins will be exposed.
Stopping at nothing to keep his name clean, Collins frames Dial for the murder of Chief Superintendent Andrew Windsor (Charles Dance
). Now pursued by Collins and the British police, Dial must do whatever it takes to prove his innocence, knowing that Police Inspector Annette Ballard (Lena Headey
), Windsor's vengeful daughter, is after him as well.
While Dial is being pursued by Collins and his rogue hit squad, Dial saves the life of Inspector Ballard, who found herself in Collins' cross hairs. Dial having earned Ballards trust, is watched by Ballard as Dial bids farewell to young Emily who is responsible for Dial's survival. Later, it is shown that Dial sent Emily a letter along with 2 tickets to see him and his horse Beauty on his ranch. The last scene is shown Emily and Dial watching Beauty run.
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
starring Wesley Snipes
Wesley Snipes
Wesley Trent Snipes is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist, who has starred in numerous action films, thrillers, and dramatic feature films. Snipes is known for playing the Marvel Comics character Blade in the Blade film trilogy, among various other high profile roles...
and Lena Headey
Lena Headey
Lena Headey is an English actress. Headey's performance in a one-off show when she was 17 caught the attention of a casting agent, who took a photo and asked her to audition and eventually she got a supporting role alongside Jeremy Irons and Ethan Hawke in the 1992 British drama film Waterland and...
, and directed by Josef Rusnak in 2007 in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
and the UK.
Plot
A retired CIA-agent named James Dial (Wesley SnipesWesley Snipes
Wesley Trent Snipes is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist, who has starred in numerous action films, thrillers, and dramatic feature films. Snipes is known for playing the Marvel Comics character Blade in the Blade film trilogy, among various other high profile roles...
) is living his life in seclusion on his ranch in Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
when he is offered the chance to redeem himself by his former employer, Jeremy Collins (Ralph Brown
Ralph Brown
Ralph William John Brown is an English actor and writer, known for playing Danny the drug dealer in Withnail and I, the security guard Aaron in Alien 3, DJ Bob Silver in The Boat That Rocked, and the pilot Ric Olié in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace...
). A few years ago, Dial was seconds away from taking down notorious terrorist cell leader Ali Mahmud Jahar (Nikolai Sotirov) when a distraction allowed Jahar to escape, marking the mission as a failure. Now, Collins wants Dial to eliminate Jahar, who has been captured and is now in the custody of the police
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Provided with a safe house, passports, and an assistant named Terry Mitchell (Richard Harrington), Dial is off to London to finish what he started years ago. Disguised as a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
, Dial gets in position in a church's bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
across the street from the building that Jahar is being brought into.
When Jahar is brought out of his transport truck, his head is covered by a jacket, leaving Dial without a clean shot. Not wanting to fail again, Dial patiently waits for his opportunity. After Jahar is taken inside the building, Dial attaches a special sight to his rifle so he can see through the window, and he kills Jahar with a shot to the head. Because of a delay caused by a pair of cops, Mitchell is late bringing the getaway car, and that brings attention to them fleeing the scene.
After numerous attempts to stop the car, the police open fire on them, killing Mitchell. The car, now out of control, comes to a crashing stop, injuring Dial. Bleeding profusely, Dial makes his way to the safe house, where he meets curious 12-year-old neighbor Emily Day (Eliza Bennett
Eliza Bennett
Eliza Hope Bennett is an English teen actress and singer. Her most notable roles were that of Meggie Folchart in the film Inkheart and Susan in From Time to Time.-Early life:...
), who lives with her grandmother (Gemma Jones
Gemma Jones
Gemma Jones is an English character actress on both stage and screen.-Early life:Jones was born in London, England, the daughter of Irene and Griffith Jones, an actor. Her brother, Nicholas Jones, is also an actor...
).
Emily helps Dial stop the bleeding. Even though Jahar was eliminated, the mission was a failure to Collins because Dial was observed fleeing the scene on a security camera. In the USA, Collins is being investigated for running a CIA Hit Squad, and if word gets back about Dial and the death of Jahar, Collins will be exposed.
Stopping at nothing to keep his name clean, Collins frames Dial for the murder of Chief Superintendent Andrew Windsor (Charles Dance
Charles Dance
Walter Charles Dance, OBE is an English actor, screenwriter and director. Dance typically plays assertive bureaucrats or villains. His most famous roles are Guy Perron in The Jewel in the Crown , Dr Clemens, the doctor of penitentiary Fury 161, who becomes Ellen Ripley's confidante in Alien 3 ,...
). Now pursued by Collins and the British police, Dial must do whatever it takes to prove his innocence, knowing that Police Inspector Annette Ballard (Lena Headey
Lena Headey
Lena Headey is an English actress. Headey's performance in a one-off show when she was 17 caught the attention of a casting agent, who took a photo and asked her to audition and eventually she got a supporting role alongside Jeremy Irons and Ethan Hawke in the 1992 British drama film Waterland and...
), Windsor's vengeful daughter, is after him as well.
While Dial is being pursued by Collins and his rogue hit squad, Dial saves the life of Inspector Ballard, who found herself in Collins' cross hairs. Dial having earned Ballards trust, is watched by Ballard as Dial bids farewell to young Emily who is responsible for Dial's survival. Later, it is shown that Dial sent Emily a letter along with 2 tickets to see him and his horse Beauty on his ranch. The last scene is shown Emily and Dial watching Beauty run.
Cast
- Wesley SnipesWesley SnipesWesley Trent Snipes is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist, who has starred in numerous action films, thrillers, and dramatic feature films. Snipes is known for playing the Marvel Comics character Blade in the Blade film trilogy, among various other high profile roles...
- James Dial - Eliza BennettEliza BennettEliza Hope Bennett is an English teen actress and singer. Her most notable roles were that of Meggie Folchart in the film Inkheart and Susan in From Time to Time.-Early life:...
- Emily Day - Lena HeadeyLena HeadeyLena Headey is an English actress. Headey's performance in a one-off show when she was 17 caught the attention of a casting agent, who took a photo and asked her to audition and eventually she got a supporting role alongside Jeremy Irons and Ethan Hawke in the 1992 British drama film Waterland and...
- InspectorInspectorInspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.- Australia :...
Annette Ballard - Ralph BrownRalph BrownRalph William John Brown is an English actor and writer, known for playing Danny the drug dealer in Withnail and I, the security guard Aaron in Alien 3, DJ Bob Silver in The Boat That Rocked, and the pilot Ric Olié in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace...
- Jeremy Collins - Charles DanceCharles DanceWalter Charles Dance, OBE is an English actor, screenwriter and director. Dance typically plays assertive bureaucrats or villains. His most famous roles are Guy Perron in The Jewel in the Crown , Dr Clemens, the doctor of penitentiary Fury 161, who becomes Ellen Ripley's confidante in Alien 3 ,...
- Chief SuperintendentChief SuperintendentChief superintendent is a senior rank in police forces organised on the British model.- United Kingdom :In the British police, a chief superintendent is senior to a superintendent and junior to an assistant chief constable .The highest rank below Chief Officer level, chief...
Andrew Windsor - Gemma JonesGemma JonesGemma Jones is an English character actress on both stage and screen.-Early life:Jones was born in London, England, the daughter of Irene and Griffith Jones, an actor. Her brother, Nicholas Jones, is also an actor...
- Mrs. Day - Iain RobertsonIain RobertsonIain Robertson is a BAFTA winning Scottish actor. He was once described by Barry Norman as "the best thing to come out of Scotland since whisky"....
- Cramston - Richard Harrington - Terry Mitchell
- John StandingJohn StandingSir John Ronald Leon Standing, 4th Baronet is an English actor.-Early life:Standing was born John Ronald Leon in London, the son of Kay Hammond , an actress, and Sir Ronald George Leon, a stockbroker...
- Sir Anthony