I’ve watched thousands of movies, interviewed countless filmmakers, and been on my share of film sets. And if there is one thing I’ve learned on my journey as a film critic, it’s that movies are hard to make. The process involves so many moving parts – writers, producers, actors, directors, cinematographers, costume designers, studio execs, financers, and caterers, just to name a few – that I consider it a small miracle that coherent movies even exist. So even when a picture misses the mark, I can appreciate the effort that went into realizing the project. Which brings me to Contracts , the new film written and directed by stunt coordinator extraordinaire, Alex Chung .

Simply put, Contracts is a mess. The inconsequential plot makes so little sense that I won’t even describe it in detail. Just know that this movie is about assassins fighting other assassins. And let me tell you, a whole lot of assassinating goes on. Contracts is a series of gruesomely violent fights strung together by a threadbare plot. Way too often, wooden actors stand around speaking piss-poor dialogue in banal scenes.

But Contracts is not devoid of merit. Chung cut his teeth as a fight choreographer, and the movie has some well-executed fights sequences – some of them are better than what you find in big-budget action flicks. The fast-paced and hyper-violent action features some inventive choreography. Combatants punch, kick, shoot, stab, and bite their way through 70 minutes worth of bloody encounters.

Contract s comes across less like a movie than an excuse to string together a series of exciting brawls. And you can’t dismiss the effort and talent that went into the action choreography. But a series of fights doesn’t make a movie, and the end result is something that feels closer to a highlight reel than a film.

Check out all of our TADFF 2019 coverage here .