Paycheck | | Cast : | Ben Affleck, Aaron Eckhart, Uma Thurman, Michael C. Hall | | Director : | John Woo | | Studio : | Paramount Home Video | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | December 25, 2003 | | DVD Released Date : | December 29, 2004 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 28, 2005 | | Summary | Better Than Some Reviews Would Indicate | Content
 | I just rented this movie today for the first time and really wasn't expecting too much. I dislike Ben Affleck's acting and John Woo hasn't made a good film in some time now. Surprisingly, Affleck is decent here and the premise with all the clues was very intriguing. Worth renting if your into Sci-Fi films.
3.5 out of 5 stars |
| Rating | | | Date | July 12, 2005 | | Summary | I Did What? | Content
| Ben Affleck is an engineer who specializes in reverse engineering and very sensitive work. At the end of a contract he has his memory wiped of his involvement and collects his paycheck. One day an old friend gives him a chance at a long job (three years long) with a huge paycheck at the end. The job ends and Ben sees his stock options are now worth 92 million dollars. But when he goes to collect, he discovers he turned down payment and for some reason swapped out his personal effects with seemingly useless items.
While trying to find out about his money, he discovers that there are people out to find out what he worked on, including the feds. He manages to escape with the help of some of the items. He then realizes that he sent himself these items for a reason and they are very important to his survival. The story progresses with him finding out more about his past three years and what some of the items are for. Uma Thurman provides an ally and love interest to the story but it is really another Philip K. Dick look at the nature of reality and memory.
Unlike Minority Report, this story holds together well and makes sense. It has action, although not over the top, romance, and mystery. Ben does a good job in his role and the supporting cast was very well cast. Check it out. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 04, 2005 | | Summary | This Paycheck is not worth cashing | Content
| I do not like Ben Affleck. It's not personal, its just that I think he is a lousy actor who relies on his looks than any other substance that, unfortunately, he does not have.
Paycheck did not change my mind on Affleck. It did, however, change my mind on Uma Thurman who I thought was a decent actress. What is she doing in this movie anyways? Isn't she supposed to be killing Bill? Uma overacts in Paycheck and it is very obvious from her crying scenes and the scene where she is begging Ben Affleck to change his mind and run away with her near the end of the film. Even Paul Giammatti, who is a funny actor, is not funny in this movie.
The story, however, is a rip-off of almost every single movie that was made in the same genre as this (action/adventure/sci-fi). You sense the clear resemblance of Terminator 2 in the whole idea of looking into the future and this big war erupting! Armageddon, in which Affleck also starred, is ripped off at the end of the movie where Affleck will risk his life to destroy the machine and have Thurman run for her life. Minority Report is also ripped off for the obvious reasons (the whole look into the future) In a nutshell, the story's been told a million times before.
In the midst of this viewing chaos, one must admit that Paycheck succeeds in gluing the eyes to the screen. It is mildly entertaining especially the very last scene which is quite funny and surprising (I will not give it away!)
But the overacting, Ben Affleck, the repeated story and plot (and even images) makes this Paycheck not worth cashing.
Not recommended
D |
| Rating | | | Date | June 16, 2005 | | Summary | Better than expected. | Content
| It's funny how great ideas can come from the most unexpected places. John Woo is known for his high-energy action films and not for innovative science fiction. Paycheck delivers on the latter, but in a smaller dose. It's more an action/suspense movie anyway, but if you focus on what the movie is you will end up pleasantly surprised by what it turns into later on.
The plot is an interesting twist on the whole man-on-the-run type theme we have seen in movies like Minority Report. And like Minority Report it delves into seeing into the future. Thankfully the similarities stop at the future seeing and hero chasing elements. While the theme is rather simple and even derivative the details around it make for an interesting show. Having our hero not know what he did for the past three years and only having a pocket full of items he left himself is a nice touch, even if the previews made it sound better than that. While the execution of the script is all well and good you don't get to the really good stuff until further into the film when Ben Afleck finds out why he is in trouble to begin with. Not only does this become a fascinating plot twist it makes the entire movie come together as an innovative story.
This being a John Woo movie I am sure many of you are expecting lots and lots of action. Well it's not a full throttle John Woo movie in the action department. Don't get me wrong. There is a really exciting motorcycle chase scene and near the end you get a sweet fight sequence. There just isn't as much action in Paycheck as there are in Woo's other films. That's actually a good thing since you get more background into the story itself that wouldn't be there.
There is one thing that sticks to my craw about this movie and that's Ben Afleck. Don't get me wrong. I think he did do this role well... technically. It's just I didn't feel drawn into the character at all. I wasn't convinced I was seeing Mike Jennings struggling through his predicament, just Ben Afleck. Uma and the rest did a fine job though. Sorry Ben. Technically speaking the movie is tight and you get some dynamic camera angles as well as some other neat cinematography tricks. It all makes the movie quite stylish, which seems to be another of john Woo's trademarks.
Paycheck has elements in it that make it a truly fascinating movie, but you have to wait for it. For those of you who enjoy a good time paradox story I believe the wait is worth it. If you can get past that (as well as Ben Afleck's average performance) then you should be able to get the most out of Paycheck. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 01, 2005 | | Summary | good sci fi-action flick | Content
| Paycheck is a pretty good scifi/action movie if you can turn off the logical part of your brain and ignore plot contrivances and bad guys that couldn't hit the broad side of a barn when they shoot. I'm like anybody else in that I wish Hollywood would do better, but until they do, I enjoyed this movie. Ben Affleck plays an engineer who takes jobs that result in him having his memory of what he did erased at the end. He takes on a 3 year project for an old friend thinking of the massive payday when its over. When the project is over he discovers he has signed away his rights to the money and left himself an envelope of seemingly useless objects instead. He uses the objects to piece togeher the mystery of just what he did for the last 3 years. The movie is at its best in the first half as you try along with Affleck to figure out what's going on. The second half humps up the action and the number of bullets that never find their target. Uma Thurman plays the love interest but isn't given all that much to do, nor is Paul Giamatti as a trusted friend. As for Affleck, I'm bored with this "let's all hate Ben Affleck" cult that has grown in the last few years. Will he win an Oscar? No, but his performance here was fine. No other actor would have done any more with the script as written. |
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