Recent Reviews for Payback (1999)
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MCT:October 4, 2008Val Resnick: Beauty of the Chows is that they won't go to the cops. They keep everything in house... and, they don't feel pain the way we do.
Porter: You notice anything about those guys, Val?
Val Resnick: They look nasty... probably all Kung Fu-motherfuckers. Why, did I miss something?
Porter: They weren't wearing their seat belts.
A fun, dark revenge story, with Gibson in one of his last good roles before the craziness stepped in.
This movie is very dark and gritty, yet filled with a great morbid sense of humor. Everyone in this movie is in asshole mode, and it only makes it more fun.
Good 70s soundtrack as well, in fact the whole movie plays like an homage to a 70s revenge story, which is pretty cool.
Porter: [voiceover] You'd think after five months of lying on my back, I would have given up any idea of getting even, just be a nice guy and call it a day. Nice guys are fine: you have to have somebody to take advantage of... but they always finish last.
Gibson has a lot of fun as Porter, an asshole/professional criminal who is seeking revenge based around principle, which is evident from the fact that he only wants a certain amount of money, and rejects offers of more. As he appears back from the dead after being shot, he tries to get his point across and get his revenge, but keeps getting interfered with by higher up criminals and crooked cops.
Stegman: You know what, Val, this one's on me. OK?
Val Resnick: Do you see me reaching for my fucking wallet!?
The film also stars a hilarious Greg Henry as the man who double crossed Porter with Porter's own wife, played by Deborah Kara Unger. You also have Maria Bello, David Paymer, Lucy Lui, Kris Kristofferson, and James Coburn as various figures all in Porter's way.
Pearl: [seductively] I've got a few minutes.
Porter: So go boil an egg.
The film was written and directed by Brian Helgeland, screenwriter of such films as LA Confidential, who has based the movie of a novel titled The Hunter, which has itself been previously adapted as the Lee Marvin film Point Blank.
Now, there are two versions of this film. The original theatrical version, which replaced Helgeland and the third act of the film, and there is a more recently released director's cut. Both versions would get the same rating despite their differences.
The original has a steely blue look to it and fits into a zone where Gibson is a bad guy, but the best bad among all the others. The director's cut removes the blue look for a grittier look, removes the voiceover, replaces the soundtrack, and has a darker and completely different ending.
A dark and fun R rated revenge story, filled with violence and Gibson when he wasn't crazy Mel.
[Porter has just threatened to kill Carter while talking to Bronson on the phone]
Bronson: Are you threatening me?
Porter: I'm not threatening you, I'm threatening Carter. -
MCT:October 3, 2008
funny movie its not great but it is funny that he dosnt want all the money...just his cut which is petty money to most of the people
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MCT:September 28, 2008"Not many people know what their life's worth is. I do. Seventy grand. That's what they took from me. And that's what I was going to get back."
If the realm inhabited by Payback seems familiar, it's because the film's basic premise borrows from Donald E. Westlake's gritty pseudonymous novel The Hunter as well as the 1967 John Boorman film Point Blank. Screenwriter Brian Helgeland is perhaps principally recognised for his Oscar-winning script for L.A. Confidential and a few additional films prior to that (Conspiracy Theory, Assassins, The Postman, etc). Helgeland makes his slick, stylishly brutal directorial debut with Payback. From the outset Helgeland had desired to create a relentless, hard-hitting revenge thriller with its central character primarily contemptible and without redeeming qualities. Unfortunately, an unsatisfied Mel Gibson stepped in during post-production and persuaded the studio to have the final third of the film altered. Considering the tremendous amount of trouble that occurred behind-the-scenes during post-production, Payback is a solid effort indeed. Despite the changes the film underwent, the seams aren't at all visible.
Mel Gibson (of the Lethal Weapon and Mad Max fame) portrays an honest and modest crook who calls himself Porter. He commits to a street heist with friend Val (Henry) and wife Lynn (Unger). After robbing a fierce oriental gang, Porter is double-crossed by Lynn and Val. He's shot many times and left to die...but Porter survives. After recovering for several months he's back and looking for revenge. He aims to recover his share of the money (a mere $70,000...it may be a small amount but to him it's just the principal of the thing). To do that, though, Porter is forced to go up against a criminal organisation known as "The Outfit". Porter teams with exclusive, upper class prostitute Rosie (Bello) who assists in his determined hunt for retribution.
Writer/director Brian Helgeland's original vision for Payback was dissimilar to what appeared in cinemas in late 1999. Payback was to be a violent and gritty crime flick, permeated with extremely dark tones and a contemptible protagonist. Gibson didn't realise Helgeland's vision until he viewed a rough cut. He realised that his star image would be ruined if this version hit cinemas as his character of Porter was unheroic and repellent (never mind that these things were a given from the outset). Gibson was given the reigns and Helgeland was ousted after refusing to make the changes to the film. Writer Terry Hayes (who wrote Mad Max 2, i.e. The Road Warrior) was brought onto the project to begin rewrites. For the re-shoots Gibson selected John Myhre as the director. Gibson became very influential in the cutting room. He removed scenes aplenty, and replaced them with a more heroic image of Porter. But Payback falls short of perfection because of these changes. Gibson's Porter seems so light-hearted that even the most menacing situations never seem to trouble him. The lack of genuine danger proves lethal. You will smile enthusiastically towards the conclusion as the villains get their comeuppance, but Gibson being so light-hearted in his portrayal a villain just doesn't gel. Helgeland was thankfully given the opportunity to bring his vision to fruition in 2006 with Payback: Straight Up - The Director's Cut.
In a popcorn sense, Payback is decent entertainment. There's an effective cold, urban, atmospheric feel to the undisclosed location of the film. The finger-tapping music is also decent (Helgeland was always dissatisfied with the music, and recorded a new soundtrack for his Director's Cut) and the terse narration by Gibson is occasionally fascinating. But by no means is Payback faultless: the film strives to be a no-nonsense action-thriller with a badass central character, but it's undermined by the silliness of each new plot twist and the light-hearted manner in which Gibson portrays the supposedly brutal hero. It's almost impossible to believe a word of the film as it moves from one preposterous scene to the next. As a positive, the film is entertaining for its 100-minute duration. It provides the occasional interesting scenario and a number of great action sequences. Payback is just much too flawed to hold up under intimate filmic analysis.
The film may be good for passing a few hours, but in an artistic sense Payback fails. It tries too many different genres and mostly falls flat. It succeeds as an action film, but as a vigilante flick we've seen it all before and we've seen it done better. As a crime film, it's familiar territory as well. As a romance, it's boring and contrived. Worse yet, the unmotivated happy ending (which Brian Helgeland absolutely hated) appears sudden and unbefitting. As you probably would have guessed by now, the film simply does not make much sense. Payback is effortless enjoyment...nothing further. -
MCT:September 16, 2008
A man gets revenge after his money is stolen and his wife turns into a drug addict and tried to kill him.
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MCT:August 26, 2008A film that actually manages to make Mel Gibson look cool.
Some brilliant action scenes and a good straight forward plot, enjoyable enough for the likes of me :D -
MCT:August 11, 2008
Film d'azione a tinte noir,soprattutto per il personaggio di Porter e le sue battute ad effetto,spettacolo :D
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MCT:June 27, 2008
Cool...dry..Gibson is perfect in this role...revenge movie all the way..with some very witty humor along the way...great supporting cast including Devane and Coburn...excellent music score adds to the theme of the movie....BEWARE!!! stay away from the director' cut version..totally changes the villian and the ending..not as suspenseful or effective...theatrical version is tops...entertaining, gritty, enjoyable acting and action!!!!!!!!
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MCT:June 5, 2008one of my favorite mel gibson movies, this dark thriller is all about porter(gibson) getting his 70 grand from the chi town mob. he gets shot and left for dead byhis wife and partner. then the real story begins. nuff said.
the film has a bleached out look making it lok dirty grimy and nasty.
give it a look. -
MCT:June 1, 2008
"Not many people know what their life's worth," the hero of "Payback" tells us right at the beginning. "I do. Seventy grand. That's what they took from me. And that's what I'm gonna get back." If you absorb that statement and take a close look at the title, you'll have a good idea of what the movie's about. The only remaining question: Is it about it entertainingly?
Yes!
The movie's publicity makes much of the fact that the hero, named Porter, is a bad guy...and who else than 'Mad Max' himself to pull off set role...
Gibson has a whimsical charm, a way of standing outside material like this and grinning at it. Oh, he's earnest and angry, blood-soaked and beaten nearly to death. But inside, there's a grin. His fundamental personality is comic--he's a joker and a satirist--and he only rarely makes an effort to hide that side... -
MCT:May 24, 2008
I loved the leaden, slightly blueish tinted hue of this film; it was simply gorgeous. (As was Lucy Liu.)
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MCT:May 21, 2008PAYBACK (1999)
directed by Brian Helgeland
starring Mel Gibson, Maria Bello, Gregg Henry«Not many people know what their life's worth is. I do. Seventy grand. That's what they took from me. And that's what I was going to get back.»
Mel Gibson stars in this Elmore Leonardesque film as Porter, a man who was shoot and left for dead by his wife and his partner. He comes back a few months later to get the $70,000 his pal owes him. His not so dicrete ways will attract him from trouble and attentions from two crooked cops, an Asian dominatrix and the some syndicated gangsters.Despite what went on behind the scene of this film I find it very enjoyable. The dialogues are fun, quite humorous but over-the-top. The plot sure is classic, but its quite fun in some ways, plus teh way its all dealt with is quite interesting. There is a pseduo-bleach effect added to the image, which always look nice in my opinion and the violence is actually quite brutal, making some scene more intense than expected, especially a torture scene near the end.
Mel Gibson plays his Leathal Weapon character but make him a bad guy, even though we root for him, cause he is killing badder guy. Mario Bello is always pretty good as his lvoe interest, David Paymer gives a funny twist to his character and Gregg Henry is over-the-top.
Payback is an adaptation of The Hunter a cult novel from Donald Westlake, it was previously adapted in the 60's by John Boorman and there is no way to compare both films.
Colorful characters mixed with some weird 70's vibe make this neo-noir film quite enjoyable. Its no masterpiece, its not that great, its definately flawed but its entertaining to me, but not to everyone.
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MCT:April 15, 2008Double-crossed criminal, Porter (Gibson - "What Women Want", "The Patriot", "Conspiracy Theory", "Ransom"), left for dead by his partner, Val (Henry - "Star Trek: Insurrection", "Raising Cain"), returns to claim back the $70,000 in loot that Val 'stole' from him. He manipulates his contacts and knowledge of the underworld to find Val, but discovers that the money is now in the hands of Carter (Devane) to whom Val has paid a debt. With Carter unwilling to return the money, Porter pushes the envelope and pisses off drug dealers, crooked cops and underworld leaders in a bid to get what is rightfully his.
Director, Helgeland (who directed the enjoyable "A Knights Tale" in 2001), has created a curious black action-comedy which has to gain viewer empathy despite the lack of a 'good guy'. Gibson's lead character is not a likable rogue. He's a vicious and dangerous criminal whose tunnel-vision idea of revenge is somewhat indiscriminate. As far as Porter is aware, it is his money, and if you want to stand in his way, you'll end up on your back. Along the way he finds a rekindled romance with Rosie (Bello) and an amusing adversary in timid drug-dealer Arthur (Paymer - "Quiz Show", "Mr Saturday Night", "Crazy People"). Also playing the comedy role, but more painfully, is Lucy Liu (TVs "Ally McBeal"). She plays dominatrix Pearl, who is responsible for administering almost as much pain as Porter.
While "Payback" fails overall, there are some aspects that are redeeming and subsequently brand it 'watchable'. The violent humour is amusing, there are some tense moments and some unpredictable fallout, and the casting of relative unknowns and long-in-the-tooth TV movie veterans helps elevate Gibson and make you more sympathetic with his unsympathetic character. File this one under 'interesting', but don't lose sleep if you miss it. -
MCT:February 24, 2008
Watched this with my husband - he enjoyed it more than I did...I thought the story line was a bit much, but Iliked the Mel Gibson icharacter Porter...
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MCT:February 15, 2008
Has a gritty, 70's cop show feel about it without the 70's cop show "cheese". Great cast and funny where it should be. Anything with Mel Gibson, Maria Bello, William DeVane, Kris Kristofferson AND Lee Marvin is going to kick some serious ass.
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MCT:January 27, 2008
An amazing Gibson movie. The acting, the plot, it all works so well... this movie is one of the films that made Gibson and has always left an impression on me.
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MCT:January 7, 2008
remake of pointblank, and gibsons handles himself quite well, dark humour with twisted violence, plays well, and mel looks like hes enjoying him self, as the good guy or the likeliest good guy in this film, as he plays a scum thief, out for him self, the film looks great also shot really grainy, with a lot of colour missing, and it suits well to over all film, no its no point blank that was a genuin classic, this is serious but also very comical in places, and seen throuout, this is definatly a film taking full advantage og gibson as sen in lethal weapon
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MCT:December 31, 2007
All he wanted was his 70 grand. This movie is so great! Action and comic relief. I love to watch it!
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MCT:December 25, 2007
Do not bother with the more recently released 'Payback: Straight Up'. They removed most of what i loved about this movie.
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MCT:December 22, 2007excellent film where Mel Gibson plays against type, but you still root for him anyway. A bad guy out for revenge against those who double-crossed him.
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MCT:December 13, 2007
A tough, lean, mean, stylish and explosive crime thriller. It's gritty, wickedky funny and packed with hard-edged action. Mel Gibson gives one of his best performances. He has the the flair, grit and wit that makes this character work. Plenty of guilty pleasure fun.
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MCT:December 10, 2007
THIS IS PROBABLY MY FAVORITE GIBSON MOVIE. I JUST LOVE THE FEEL OF THE MOVIE. IT'S DARK AND THE MOOD IS SO BRUTAL. AND IT'S 70, 000 NOT 130,000.
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MCT:November 30, 2007
Got to admit that, other than his 'Lethal Weapon' series, this has to be my second favorite move! 'Time to root for the bad guy'
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MCT:November 30, 2007
finally got to see this fully the other night and i have to say it wasnt that bad of a movie but i woukdnt say that it was one of mel gibsons best movies
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MCT:November 29, 2007
Nto bad at all for a Gibson flick. Better than pretty much everything else he's done really, but that isn't saying a lot.
