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List Price: $19.94 | | Label: Sony Pictures
Salesrank: 14823
Released: June 24, 2009 |
| Our Price: $4.93 |
| Used Price: $0.90 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Corporate player Julian Wright (Jason Clarke) stands on the verge of the deal of his career but his life just crossed paths with a woman (Paz Vega) who will turn his world upside down triggering emotions Julian never knew he had. As he pursues her in a dangerous game of seduction, he is forced to confront his past. Ultimately, Julian must face the dark family secrets that continue to haunt him and his troubled sister (Jada Pinkett Smith). Jada Pinkett Smith makes her directorial debut with this sophisticated, stylish and suspenseful film.
Human Contract Reviews:
Human Contact 
2009-12-31 - This really is a very good movie with one of the stars,Jason Clarke from the wellknown "BROTHERHOOD" series(lead actor).Other heavyweights are Jada Pinkett-Smith who wrote & directed, veteran actress Joanna Cassidy,Paz Vega,who did a wonderfull job as an adulterous woman having affairs with her husbands OKAY( everyone has issues,very real to life to daily living issues. This puts new meaning to "Dyfunctional Family Members".You meet a stranger and you never know a person until you "hang with them" animal attraction can be liberating but also destructive.
A smart, dark and seductive directorial debut 
2009-11-17 - I actually had to watch this movie a second time because I had a tough time understanding the dialogues the first viewing around (the so-so quality of the sound mostly?) and I missed some important exchanges. It made more sense the second time although I feel JPS missed the key scene at the end for which I expected a little more gut-wrenching, tear-jerking intensity through a more developed and explosive dialogue.
However, I must say that the style and rythm of the movie are excellent and it is perfectly paced. Although underlined with sex and violence (which are personal to the main character), the story is unusual and, simply for that, kudos to JPS for not directing another canned Hollywood product. Her directorial debut is quite remarkable, even if/because it is not mainstream.
Indeed, this film is not for everyone; it is sexually charged - but not shocking or uncomfortable by any means - and emotionally raw, and many viewers will not fare well with the mature,complex characters and issues.
I didn't know Jason Clarke before watching the film and I was very impressed by his intense and moving performance as Julian, a corporate player with complex personal issues, who goes through a few serious meltdowns after meeting a beautiful stranger who pretends to "free" him from the conventional "contracts" his life may be tied by. Paz Vega is gorgeous as usual, but I sincerely think she somehow missed her character Michael, the free-spirited jet-setting type of woman Julian falls for, and she did not ring true to me, even in the light of her own personal issues. I just did not get attached to her and found her sexual freedom a little overdone (the way she walks... seriously!), not very fresh. Every other role is perfectly cast, and it is always a treat to have accomplished actors covering even the "small" roles.
The soundtrack is different, off-beat and meets the unconventional layout of the story. Great use of Placebo's version of Kate Bush's Running up that Hill.
Also, kudos for the art direction as a whole. L.A. looks truly beautiful as seen from Julian's apartment, but also in the smaller, more intimate settings/locations (the art gallery, the brand management building, the museum, the cemetery...), and not often does this city come out as attractive as it does in this movie.
I recommend seeing the film for the various reasons I gave; and if it were for only one, I think that Clarke's top performance is to be recognized.
The special features are worth watching: the conversation with the director, producers, actors, etc. sheds more light on the project in an interesting and intelligent way.
Human Contract 
2009-09-23 - I was interested in this film because it was a work done by Jada Pinkett-Smith. I liked it a lot although it may not meet the taste of many.
Hooray for Jada Pinkett Smith
2009-09-08 - The movie, "The Human Contract", was very interesting. The psychological aspects of it was intriguing, and the script was interesting. I think this would be a hard movie to film for a first time director, but Jada Pinkett Smith pulled it off with ease. Hooray for Jada!!!
Horrible Movie 
2009-09-08 - Jada really missed the mark with this movie. The storyline, production and audio are all horrible. The camera movement and look of the film is really great but who wants to watch a film to see this portion of crafting. For this to be her first directed project she did not impress me at all and if she makes another movie I will be hard pressed to view her work. Midway through the movie one of the actors adopts a English accent but the accent wasn't present at the start of the film. No wonder Sony Pictures sent this straight to DVD and avoided a theatrical release. I waited four years for this movie and I am very disappointed.
