Typically in a mainstream movie where the protagonist is supposed to be a bad guy or an anti-hero, all we get is someone who grumbles and/or shouts a lot to make them seem more "intense." Or if they're feeling really reckless, have him commit some actual crime, like hit someone when he's not supposed to. But it's all token stuff that no one would really bat an eye at in a movie, so in the end it comes off as looking like a poser. That doesn't happen here.
The trailers make this out to be like another Mel Gibson movie; light, jokey and harmlessly mischievous. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is a dark, brutal and violent movie. Not for the faint hearted.
This is a noir/revenge movie. Porter (Mel Gibson) is a low rent criminal whose wife (Debra Kara Unger) and partner, Val (Gregg Henry) betray him and steal his 70 grand from a score that the three of them took down. But Porter isn't dead, and he wants his money.
"Payback" is actually two movies rolled into one. The first half is a film noir, but unfortunately it's pretty bad. It's painfully slow, and the acting is embarrassing. Everyone just grumbles hammily, and no one seems comfortable in this kind of movie. The worst offenders are Gibson and William Devane, who plays one of the crime bosses. Devane is especially bad, if only because he was so creepy in "Marathon Man." It's not until the second half when the film finds its groove and becomes a full blown revenge movie. That's when it really takes off. Unfortunately it takes the better part of an hour to get there, and the movie is only 100 minutes.
Apart from Gibson and Devane, the acting is solid, but unspectacular. They do more or less what they are expected to. Special mention however has to go to Maria Bello and James Coburn. Bello is terrific; she's the lone ray of sunshine in the midst of crooks, psychos and endless violence. We can really feel for her, and she has great chemistry with Gibson. James Coburn is actually quite funny, something that's in very short supply in this world. Sadly he's only in three scenes. David Paymer, who is usually very reliable, is pretty annoying, and Lucy Liu is more over-the-top than she should be as a dominatrix.
Oscar-winning screenwriter Brian Helgeland has a knack for atmosphere, but not pacing. The first half of the movie is so long and dull that it threatened to put me to sleep. And despite the fact that the second part of the movie watchable, it's not good enough to justify watching it.
My rating: Rated R for Pervasive Strong Brutal Violence and Language.
The trailers make this out to be like another Mel Gibson movie; light, jokey and harmlessly mischievous. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is a dark, brutal and violent movie. Not for the faint hearted.
This is a noir/revenge movie. Porter (Mel Gibson) is a low rent criminal whose wife (Debra Kara Unger) and partner, Val (Gregg Henry) betray him and steal his 70 grand from a score that the three of them took down. But Porter isn't dead, and he wants his money.
"Payback" is actually two movies rolled into one. The first half is a film noir, but unfortunately it's pretty bad. It's painfully slow, and the acting is embarrassing. Everyone just grumbles hammily, and no one seems comfortable in this kind of movie. The worst offenders are Gibson and William Devane, who plays one of the crime bosses. Devane is especially bad, if only because he was so creepy in "Marathon Man." It's not until the second half when the film finds its groove and becomes a full blown revenge movie. That's when it really takes off. Unfortunately it takes the better part of an hour to get there, and the movie is only 100 minutes.
Apart from Gibson and Devane, the acting is solid, but unspectacular. They do more or less what they are expected to. Special mention however has to go to Maria Bello and James Coburn. Bello is terrific; she's the lone ray of sunshine in the midst of crooks, psychos and endless violence. We can really feel for her, and she has great chemistry with Gibson. James Coburn is actually quite funny, something that's in very short supply in this world. Sadly he's only in three scenes. David Paymer, who is usually very reliable, is pretty annoying, and Lucy Liu is more over-the-top than she should be as a dominatrix.
Oscar-winning screenwriter Brian Helgeland has a knack for atmosphere, but not pacing. The first half of the movie is so long and dull that it threatened to put me to sleep. And despite the fact that the second part of the movie watchable, it's not good enough to justify watching it.
My rating: Rated R for Pervasive Strong Brutal Violence and Language.