Following Mark Wahlberg
Mark Wahlberg's performance in Contraband has opened to mixed reviews thus far. That being said, Wahlberg's career has been steady and long-running. His performance as Irish in 2010 hit The Fighter was of great quality and only three years prior to that, he was nominated for an Oscar in his role as Dignam in Martin
Scorsese's The Departed.
I know some people have failed to shake their perception of Wahlberg as the pretty boy pop artist that belted out 'Good
Vibrations' as part of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, his music project in the 1990s. It is important, however, that audiences put aside these preconceptions of Wahlberg as some 'boy band diva' that made the transition to film. He is a credible actor that has built up an impressive cinematic career over the course of two decades.
Whilst Fear is a haphazard thriller, it is held together by Wahlberg's performance as David, the narrative's psychotically intense boyfriend. The year before, in 1995, he also featured in The Basketball Diaries, a gruelling but effective tale about adolescence, drugs and basketball. Wahlberg went on in the years following to feature in some of the better films of his career, such as Boogie Nights, Three Kings and I Heart
Huckabees. His versatility is undeniable; he has been able to play a myriad of characters ranging from insane to the mischievous.
Sure, Wahlberg has featured in some stinkers, ranging from Four Brothers and The Perfect Storm all the way through to The Italian Job and Max Payne, but his career has
been successful. He's due to feature in Ted, Seth
MacFarlane's directorial debut.
By Chris Traficante