IMDb > Max Payne (2008)
Max Payne
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Max Payne (2008) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 32 | slideshow) Videos (see all 19)
Max Payne (2008) -- This is the second theatrical trailer for Max Payne, directed by John Moore.
Max Payne (2008) -- After the violent murder of his family by the deranged users of a new and terrible drug, DEA agent Max Payne embarks on a journey of revenge that will take him into the darkest depths of New York City.
Max Payne (2008) -- This is the first trailer for Max Payne, directed by John Moore.
Max Payne (2008) -- Coming together to solve a series of murders in New York City are a DEA agent (Wahlberg) whose family was slain as part of a conspiracy and an assassin (Kunis) out to avenge her sister's death. The duo will be hunted by the police, the mob, and a ruthless
Max Payne (2008) -- Coming together to solve a series of murders in New York City are a DEA agent (Wahlberg) whose family was slain as part of a conspiracy and an assassin (Kunis) out to avenge her sister's death. The duo will be hunted by the police, the mob, and a ruthless

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Overview

User Rating:
5.4/10   41,503 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 28% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Beau Thorne (screenplay)
Sam Lake (video game by Remedy Entertainment and 3-D Realms Entertainment)
Contact:
View company contact information for Max Payne on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
17 October 2008 (USA) more
Plot:
Coming together to solve a series of murders in New York City are a police detective whose family was slain as part of a conspiracy and an assassin out to avenge her sister's death. The duo will be hunted by the police, the mob, and a ruthless corporation. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(310 articles)
Mark Wahlberg's wife expecting baby girl
 (From digitalspy. 29 October 2009, 6:50 AM, PDT)

Beyoncé 'Wonder Woman' casting 'a hoax'
 (From digitalspy. 12 October 2009, 6:54 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
A die hard fan is pleased, and here's why. more (329 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Max Payne (Canada: French title)
more
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for violence including intense shooting sequences, drug content, some sexuality and brief strong language.
Runtime:
100 min | 103 min (unrated version)
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
USA:R (original rating) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #44716) | UK:15 (uncut) | Ireland:15A | Finland:K-15 | Australia:MA (2008) | Hungary:16 (originial rating) | New Zealand:M | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Singapore:PG | New Zealand:R16 (re-rating) | Portugal:M/16 | Sweden:15 | Norway:15 | South Africa:13V | Netherlands:16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | South Korea:15 | Canada:14A (British Columbia) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Germany:16 | Brazil:14 | France:-12 | Argentina:16 | Peru:14 | Malaysia:18PL | Germany:18 (Extended Director's Cut on DVD) | Japan:PG-12 | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) | India:A | Iceland:14 (video rating) | Iceland:16 (original rating)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
When initially submitted to the MPAA the film was given an R rating. Director John Moore then reportedly trimmed a few frames and the picture was promptly given the more financially viable PG-13 rating. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: In the Roscoe Street Station bathroom, Max fires a revolver 6 or 7 times (you hear an echoing boom when the scene cuts to the mugger running on the tracks). Max is using a Taurus Judge revolver, which holds 5 bullets. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Max Payne: I don't believe in Heaven. I believe in Pain. I believe in Fear. I believe in Death.
more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
Room 405 more

FAQ

Is this movie based on a book?
Is "bullet time" in the film?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
more
254 out of 485 people found the following comment useful.
A die hard fan is pleased, and here's why., 16 October 2008
8/10
Author: Splinter_Spy from United States

Oh, my dreams have sort of come true. Max Payne, on film. I had prayed for months that it wouldn't stink to the high heavens like every other video game adaptation. Thankfully, Max Payne does not stink as a standalone film or adaptation, nor is it anything like the other game adaptations. John Moore's obvious goal in the film was to match the spirit, tone, and grit of the game, and I have to say that he reached it.

While I was disappointed in the lack of action sequences, I think that including even half of the action from the game would have taken away from the realism of the film, as mountains of action sequences work a lot better in a game than they do on film. The film opts for a quieter tone, and a much more thoughtful and introspective approach. I appreciated this a lot, as a fan of the game. By no means is Max Payne just thrown together to make a quick buck. It is well made, and well thought out. I was not disappointed in this aspect.

Mark Wahlberg, thank you for not failing. That would have ruined my year. Wahlberg delivers a quiet, yet subtle and intense performance in the title role as the most "pain" and "pun" inducing detective of all time. While there is a large supporting cast, I really wasn't swayed either way by any of them, besides Chris Bridges, who was actually playing a character for once instead of himself on screen. Mila Kunis as Mona Sax wasn't the best casting in the world, but Mila proves that it wasn't the worst casting either. There isn't as much depth to her in the film as there was in the game.

As an adaptation, the Max Payne film is very different from the game in pretty much every aspect besides the tone and the characterizations. Once again, all I wanted was the tone to be right, and I got what I wanted. Though the noir aspect of the game is somewhat lacking (I missed Max's inner monologue so much), I still found it to be the dark and effective thriller that the game was. A brooding performance from Wahlberg and a matching score only add to the film. Stunning visuals, engineered by the fictional hallucinogenic drug in the film, in addition to the dark cinematography, steal attention away from the fact that the film's editing is subpar.

I have to bring to life the fact that Max Payne is not an action movie at heart. It is a mystery film with some action scenes (and some very well done visual effects). The game may have been a shoot 'em up style game, but I know that you can't do this on film and expect to be taken seriously, which Max Payne should be.

At it's core, Max Payne, despite a lot of changes from the game, remains the dark, story driven thriller that I've loved for a good part of my life. I'm proud of the film as a die hard fan of the game, and respect it for what it is as a film by itself. I'm satisfied, and not disappointed. For those who haven't played the game, Max Payne is an effective mystery film that is driven by the main character and the exposition around him. For those who will inevitably complain about a lack of action sequences, wake up and realize that Moore & company got the tone right, at the expense of necessary cuts.

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Message Boards

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Why does everyone hate this movie so much? leatherface_ds
The real problem with this movie... xx-terror-storm-xx
Who killed Natasha? Gaze51
Please Reboot this.. luis-pinto-1
Is there any game-based movie out there that doesn't suck? Loff24
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