Directed by: Brian Helgeland
Written by: Richard Stark Brian Helgeland Terry Hayes
Starring: Mel Gibson as Porter Gregg Henry as Val Resnick Maria Bello as Rosie
Underappreciated remake of Point Blank, from Richard Stark's novel The Hunter. Mel Gibson is Porter, a professional thief, double crossed on a job by his wife and partner, Resnick. They left him for dead, but Porter's didn't die. Now, he wants his money.
But Resnick has used the cash to buy his way into the Organization. It won't be easy to get the cash back - especially since the people they stole it from are still around and on the warpath. But Porter is patient and methodical, and he won't take no for an answer.
Mel is stone-faced to the point of humorlessness (he only gets off one good line: "I got hammered,"), but this movie is both very funny and very tough. Veteran actors William Devane, James Coburn and Kris Kristofferson are all excellent.
Customer Reviews:
This is not the Payback you remember.. Rating: I rented this Blu-Ray release because it had been quite some time since I saw Payback (I own it on VHS, but that's collecting dust somewhere in storage by now). Long story short, if you watch the extras (as I did just to figure out what the heck happened to the movie) then you'll learn that this movie has changed hands many times over and apparently this is what the Director had originally intended.
Personally, I like the original version much more than whatever this mish mashed remix edition amounts to as it equated to a much fuller story. I know it was more over the top but the movie itself was over the top to begin with so why not at least be consistent in that regard instead of trying to get serious at the end. I won't ruin it for anyone..suffice to say that if you are looking for the Payback you saw in theaters, this is not it. It is something much different and I didn't enjoy it at all.
NOT THE STUPID DIRECTORS CUT Rating: If you loved this movie as much as i did, do not get the ridiculously boring makes no sense cut of payback: straight up.
Lucy liu is so hot in this movie you could fry an egg on my pants.
Thank you
Worth seeing (if you liked the original) Rating: Having seen the original cut earlier, I can't really speak for those who haven't. Still, I imagine most people who can tolerate a gritty action flick will enjoy this version.
The director's cut removes Mel Gibson's voiceover, changes the soundtrack and film quality (from blue-filter to saturated & slightly grainy), and completely re-does the ending. It's a little less flashy, but a hell of a lot grittier and truer to the real style of the movie and the book that inspired it.
Porter's character isn't an evil one -- he's just devoid of the sense of 'morality' that most people have. Crime -- including murder -- is just a means to an end (money). Cold, calculating, callous, even brutal at times, Porter still draws viewers in. He's a great anti-hero. He's got his own, almost alien sense of ethics and this version really does his character more justice than the theatrical version.
This is NOT your silly PG-13 action-comedy flick, where guys dodge bullets, crack jokes, and slip on banana peels in the midst of drawn-out gunbattles. This is a hardcore movie. Porter beats on his ex-wife, murders strangers without expression, and offers very little comic relief.
In my opinion, this is Mel Gibson's 'coolest' role. The original 'Payback' and this director's cut release not for everyone, but that's probably a good thing. If you want a hard, no-nonsense action flick -- this is for you!
Tough guy flick Rating: Mel plays a very tough guy, like you don't see so much anymore. The lighting is all monochromatic. The side stars are very good, especially Lucy Liu as the sadist. Kris Kristofferson as the second biggest mob boss is a hoot, though he still seems more like a cowboy. The plot is some silliness about $70k owed to Mel, and how he gets it back, despite the odds. A lot of blood and violence, but it's sort of forgiveable.
Suspicios packaging Rating: The only thing I found odd about this physically was the fact that the blue ray was shrink wrapped instead of the plastic wrapper it usually comes in. Also when I opened up the case, there was no pictures on the other side of the cover. (I've gotten two BDs in shrink wrap and they both are similar in packaging as opposed to the other BDs)
Also instead of an insert that advertises more blue ray movies, It has a paper saying how the blue ray disc is manufactured to the highest quality available, etc.
As for the movie? If you like the theatrical then you'll like it. It's a great film and both versions should be watched. I honestly don't think one is better than the other but I know I liked this one a little more. Porter (Gibson) Is even more hard core in this version.
