Paycheck (2003)

Director:

John Woo

Writers (WGA):

Philip K. Dick (short story)
Dean Georgaris (screenplay)

Release Date:

25 December 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Thriller | Action | Mystery

Tagline:

Remember the future.

Plot:

What seemed like a breezy idea for an engineer to net him millions of dollars, leaves him on the run for his life and piecing together why he's being chased.

Plot Keywords:

Engineer | Computer Engineer | FBI | Destiny | Amnesia

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Ben Affleck	...	Jennings
Aaron Eckhart	...	Rethrick
Uma Thurman	...	Rachel
Paul Giamatti	...	Shorty
Colm Feore	...	Wolfe
Joe Morton	...	Agent Dodge
Michael C. Hall	...	Agent Klein
Peter Friedman	...	Attorney General Brown
Kathryn Morris	...	Rita Dunne
Ivana Milicevic	...	Maya-Rachel
Christopher Kennedy	...	Stevens
Fulvio Cecere	...	Agent Fuman
John Cassini	...	Agent Mitchell
Callum Keith Rennie	...	Jude - Guard
Michelle Harrison	...	Jane

Also Known As:

La paye (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense action violence and brief language.

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | Iceland:14 | Malaysia:18SG | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:12A (original rating) | UK:12 (video rating) (2004) | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Burrard SkyTrain Station, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

Director Trademark: [John Woo] [reflections]When Jennings meets with the Rachel-Double in the Cafe, he sees her in the silver top of a sugar pot.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The keycard Jennings uses has a barcode on it however he runs it through a magnetic strip reader.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Holographic Woman: It's time to wake up... and get a life. We live in a 3-dimensional world. Until now, the world of computing has been a flat world, consisting of 2-dimensional imagery. Now, through the use of exclusive breakthrough technology, ARC has made it possible for you to get a life. A-Life, where we can work and play in a lifelike world of 3-dimensional reality. A-Life, the living monitor.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The DiCaprio Code (2006)

Soundtrack:

Dream a Little Dream of Me

Great Sci-Fi Adventure

In the near future, Michael Jennings (Ben Affleck) is a 'reverse' engineer, specialized in 'opening' state-of-art technology and development of new products for competitors. When the assignment is accomplished, he receives his paycheck and has his recent memory erased by his friend Shorty (Paul Giamatti). Michael receives an invitation from James Rethrick (Aaron Eckhart) for a three years job. In return, he would make his financial independence, receiving ninety million dollars. Michael accepts the contract and in the plant of Rethrick's company, he meets the biologist Dr. Rachel Porter (Uma Thurman). Three years later, without his memory of this period, he realizes that he returned the amount to the company that hired him, keeping just an envelope with twenty common objects and the FBI chasing him. Wow, John Woo recovered his shape and released this great sci-fi adventure. The story is full of action and it is an excellent entertainment. I liked a lot and recommend 'Paycheck' for fans of sci-fi and action movies. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): 'O Pagamento' ('The Payment')