Paycheck

"OK"

Paycheck Review


Sci-fi fans will see clear similarities between John Woo's action/thriller Paycheck and Paul Verhoeven's Total Recall (1991). Both deal with memory and identity, as adapted from stories by author Philip K. Dick. Both star thousand-watt Hollywood celebrities (Ben Affleck here, Governor Schwarzenegger in Recall) in roles that ask little from them. And, most disappointingly, both shun an intellectual and sturdy drama that would fit the subject matter perfectly, choosing action and cornball dialogue instead.

"My life is nothing but highlights," confesses Mike Jennings (Affleck), a genius computer hacker who trades big cash for small chunks of his own memory. Jennings gets rich by dissecting massive programs and passing the goods onto rival companies - at which point, all recent activity is erased from his brain.

His life usually skips ahead months at a time until an old college buddy/mega-mogul (Aaron Eckhart) offers him tens of millions to do a highly classified job and then wipe away three entire years. The risks are uncertain but the payday is huge. In the blink of an eye (to both Mike and the viewer), his duty is done. When Mike goes to cash in, however, he finds no gold at the end of the rainbow - just an envelope containing his personal effects, of which, he has no memory (of course). He's left to unravel the puzzle that is his life.

As with Total Recall, we now move into contrived scenarios, run-of-the-mill thriller dialogue, and some crappy acting. The story details can be blamed on screenwriter Dean Georgaris, whose only previous writing credit is the second Tomb Raider film. He seems to be skilled at little cinematic tricks (cool clues, funky gadgets), but his storytelling is weak. Paycheck could have been quite engaging, but every plot revelation feels forced.

Affleck's performance doesn't help matters. As his career progresses, Affleck appears to work harder and harder at looking like he's not acting. Here, he puts so much effort into being both natural and heroic that he comes off as uncomfortably obvious. His game looks even weaker next to the likes of Uma Thurman (love interest), Colm Feore (bad guy), and Joe Morton (FBI heavy).

To show that he's having fun with the genre, Woo dresses Affleck like Cary Grant in North By Northwest and even shoots some scenes with the soft focus of that film. It's tough to determine, then, whether the line deliveries are homage to that golden era or just plain bad. Hey, didn't Hitchcock say that he considered actors to be cattle?

As with many sci-fi fantasies that move back and forth in time, Paycheck asks for a certain level of suspension of disbelief. Most viewers will let it go, especially early on as Jennings dives into the mystery at hand. As the film moves on, however, implausible facts begin to pile up, and the story has moments that ask the viewer for way too much. Most egregious is a gaping hole of a central plot point, without which, the story ceases to exist. Some will leave it alone; others may find it annoying or cheap.

Thank goodness Woo can still direct an action sequence like a master. He mixes up angles, film speeds, and motion with enough creativity and surprise to fill three Bad Boys sequels, providing one satisfying motorcycle chase scene that's even a little frightening. Through his hodgepodge of Hong Kong style melodrama (especially John Powell's hokey music) and Hitchcockian references, Woo still knows that his strong suit is action, action, action - that knowledge saves the film from diving into boring obscurity. For without his zest for kinetic energy, Paycheck would be just a few neat ideas stuffed inside a stiff, stifling adventure. Kinda like Total Recall.

On DVD, Paycheck's two commentary tracks may be worth a listen, but it's deleted scenes (including an Uma brainscan and alternate ending) that really make the disc.

Try a temp instead. It's cheaper.



Paycheck

Facts and Figures

Run time: 119 mins

In Theaters: Thursday 25th December 2003

Box Office USA: $53.7M

Box Office Worldwide: $53.8M

Budget: $60M

Distributed by: Paramount Pictures

Production compaines: Province of British Columbia Film Incentive BC, Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, Davis Entertainment, Lion Rock Productions, Solomon/Hackett Productions

Reviews

Contactmusic.com: 2.5 / 5

Rotten Tomatoes: 27%
Fresh: 42 Rotten: 112

IMDB: 6.3 / 10

Cast & Crew

Director:

Starring: as Michael Jennings, as James Rethrick, as Dr. Rachel Porte, as Shorty, as Wolfe, as Agent Dodge, as Agent Klein, as Attorney General Brown, as Rita Dunne, as Maya-Rachel, Christopher Kennedy as Stevens, as Agent Fuman, as Agent Mitchell, as Jude - Guard, Michelle Harrison as Jane

Contactmusic


Links


New Movies

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Movie Review

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Movie Review

After the thunderous reception for J.J. Abrams' Episode VII: The Force Awakens two years ago,...

Daddy's Home 2 Movie Review

Daddy's Home 2 Movie Review

Like the 2015 original, this comedy plays merrily with cliches to tell a silly story...

The Man Who Invented Christmas Movie Review

The Man Who Invented Christmas Movie Review

There's a somewhat contrived jauntiness to this blending of fact and fiction that may leave...

Ferdinand Movie Review

Ferdinand Movie Review

This animated comedy adventure is based on the beloved children's book, which was published in...

Brigsby Bear Movie Review

Brigsby Bear Movie Review

Director Dave McCary makes a superb feature debut with this offbeat black comedy, which explores...

Battle of the Sexes Movie Review

Battle of the Sexes Movie Review

A dramatisation of the real-life clash between tennis icons Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs,...

Shot Caller Movie Review

Shot Caller Movie Review

There isn't much subtlety to this prison thriller, but it's edgy enough to hold the...

Advertisement
The Disaster Artist Movie Review

The Disaster Artist Movie Review

A hilariously outrageous story based on real events, this film recounts the making of the...

Stronger Movie Review

Stronger Movie Review

Based on a true story about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, this looks like one...

Only the Brave Movie Review

Only the Brave Movie Review

Based on a genuinely moving true story, this film undercuts the realism by pushing its...

Wonder Movie Review

Wonder Movie Review

This film may be based on RJ Palacio's fictional bestseller, but it approaches its story...

Happy End  Movie Review

Happy End Movie Review

Austrian auteur Michael Haneke isn't known for his light touch, but rather for hard-hitting, award-winning...

Patti Cake$ Movie Review

Patti Cake$ Movie Review

Seemingly from out of nowhere, this film generates perhaps the biggest smile of any movie...

The Limehouse Golem Movie Review

The Limehouse Golem Movie Review

A Victorian thriller with rather heavy echoes of Jack the Ripper, this film struggles to...

Advertisement
Artists
Actors
    Filmmakers
      Artists
      Bands
        Musicians
          Artists
          Celebrities
             
              Artists
              Interviews