I really wanted to like “The Human Contract”. It marketed itself as a sexy thriller with Paz Vega strutting around in Cosabella lingerie. How could it fail? All you have to do is give me Paz and a run-of-the-mill story, and I am sold!
Unfortunately, Jada Pinkett-Smith’s film is so convoluted and unsure of its identity that it dribbles miserably to an insufferable conclusion. On top of that, the film is presented with such a cocky and distasteful attitude, as if it is somehow delivering profound material that we should all bow humbly before. In actuality, it is nothing more than clichéd ramblings and unsavory characters.
The film’s greatest flaw is that the protagonist is a worthless jerk. We are asked to care about a millionaire asshole who resorts to violence in every situation… even against women. Admittedly, the movie does try to give reasons for his behavior — but they are grossly insufficient. All we are really left with is a despicable character who lives a life of luxury and screws gorgeous women right before beating the crap out of them. Nice.
Paz Vega is the only good thing about this movie. She is wonderful eye candy and she does supremely well with awful material. However, even one of my favorite actresses in films cannot rescue this abysmal story. It is no wonder that Sony decided to bury this effort in a straight to DVD release. They should have skipped DVD and gone straight for the garbage.
