MovieChat Forums > Contraband (2012) Discussion > Plot holes? (spoilers)

Plot holes? (spoilers)

posted 12 years ago by cinnanthamby
11 replies | jump to latest

Can't quite figure out some details,

1. How did the drugs in the vacuum cleaner get pass the dogs / CBP police? Since the presence of contraband is suspected, wouldn't the police have screened everything that comes off the boat?

2. I missed this, but who put the vacuum cleaner into the captain's car boot? Was it one of Walberg's crew? If so, how did they have access to the car? - Walberg only duplicated the Captain's home keys. If the Captain ordered his own men to put the vacuum cleaner into his own car, why in the world would he do that?

[–] bing-10 12 years ago

A blind man could find more than 2 plot holes in this movie.

[–] frequency-2 12 years ago

Yes indeed...most glaring to me is why Wallgerg didn't just kill Ribisi right off the bat, (the movie would have ended right there) when Ribisi threatened his family?
Wallberg had once been in "the life" and would have not accepted this sort of threat, IMHO

[–] nklec 12 years ago

If Sebastian could call the captain to tell him about Chris than he certainly could have just made the trip to Panama to get the drugs.

[–] lizandrich 12 years ago

Why would the Captain take him in the first place? It was obvious he had to be up to no good.

She's a man, it's a sled, he's dead already.

[–] osubuckeye420 11 years ago

The captain didn't take him (Walburg)...

Walburg had a friend (EDIT: his father) add him to the ships roster under a fake name. There are tons of crewmen aboard the ship, the captain isn't going to inspect each of their faces. By the time the ship left and the captain finally saw Marky Mark, they were already at sea and there was nothing he could really do (outside of demote him to ships boy/carpet cleaner).

At the end of the movie we found out that the name Walburg was given ended up being a guy who died a few years prior (explained when customs sat Walburg down at the end of the movie and asked him about the van).

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Then again, all of this was extremely sloppy and it's not like someone really could have done all of it, especailly in the timeframe that Walburg was working with.

Using the identity of someone who died 3-4 years ago and who looks nothing like Walburg? (the guy looked like he was in his 60's)

Walburg still would have had to flash his picture ID to someone, and they easily would have seen he looked nothing like the man whoose identity he was assuming.

PLUS...

The captain could have detained Walburg as a sotleway and left him with the authorities in Panama when he found out that Walburg was hitching a ride under an assumed name.

Customs could have done the same thing, as it was pretty obvious that they knew Walhburg was riding on the ship under a false identity (which is illegal)

It's not so much a plot hole as it is a plot convenience.

Technically, I guess it's possible that Wahlburg caught customs on a good day and they let him leave, even though they had evidence that he used a false identity to gain access to a ships crew.

[–] Vongrove 11 years ago

Captain did take him. The old man with the fake name was justed used to transport the van. Wahlberg registered and signed on at the last minute. There is even the moment in the scene where he's found out when the Captain's Bitch says He signed on at the last minute, I didn't think anything of it or something along those lines. We clearly saw Chris get cleared to go on the ship and Sebasian call and have them hurry him through the licensing process

[–] polsixe 11 years ago

The Captain was crooked too, he knew Wahlberg would be up to something and he would get a cut later on way or another. He had to play it up a bit for plausible deniability.

And killing Ribisi at the start would have done no good if Seb was behind it all, he would have found another way to force Wahlberg to go to Panama.

[–] epiphone20 11 years ago

My big one was the ending. Ribisi's character and his crew would've immediately mentioned Walberg giving them the coke. Once the cops realize that the captain is innocent and they deduce Walberg's connection to the ship and how he wasn't caught with anything on him when they raided the place, he'd be f----d good and proper. Even if they don't immediately arrest him, they'd surely watch him, which would've lead them to the super bills and the painting.

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"Slip your mind? Forget he was in there with a g--damn hand cannon?" -Vincent Vega

[–] michaeluk26 9 years ago

So? They have no way of proving Walberg gave them the coke. To the cops it will look like the captain smuggled it and was in cahoots with Ribisi's crew. Even if they all deny it and try to tell the truth they would all be arrested and charged and Walberg is good.

Haters gonna hate

[–] jack-upland 9 years ago

How did Andy get out of Gonzalo's compound with the money, and then find the drug-dealer all on his own and get back to the ship, without a vehicle?

[–] liberius 7 years ago

What the hell was the vacuum cleaner all about in the first place? Why was it specially brought on by the captain? I may have missed that point, but it seems like an obvious setup.

And of course if it was that easy to get drugs past Customs...

A confused and disappointing movie.