Rating: Summary: Mel loses the bagpipes and heads noir Review: Mel Gibson drops his kilts and tosses his hat into the Tarantino/Guy Ritchie ring. While this effort will never attain the cult status of its inspiration, 1967's "Point Blank", Gibson wisely avoids the more "artsy" and existential elements of the original and stages an audience pleasing, by-the-numbers rock 'em sock 'em revenge thriller. Gibson utilizes a low-talking, poker-faced approach to good effect playing a double-crossed sociopathic career-criminal type on a single-minded quest for retribution. The supporting cast attacks thier various roles as typical noir sleazebags and scuzzbuckets with an amusingly gleeful relish. The finale strains credibility, but after all, its only a movie. The performances,a certain amount of atmosphere and the sparse, tough, wiseguy Raymond Chandler style dialogue ultimately keep the film afloat. Note for the squeamish: there is one over-the-top torture scene on a par with Michael Madsen's "Stuck In The Middle" sequence in "Reservoir Dogs". That aside, enjoy!
Rating: Summary: It's payback time Review: In "Payback," Mel Gibson stars as a bad guy instead of the usual good guy. The people he's up against are also bad guys though, there's not any good guys in this movie. A bad guy named Val (Gregg Henry) takes all of Porter's (Mel Gibson) money when he was only supposed to get half of it. Val not only takes all of Porter's money, but also nearly kills him and leaves him to die on the ground, and takes Porter's girlfriend, Rosie (Maria Bello) with him. Once Porter gets up, he sets out to find Rosie, and then to ultimately find Val and get his money back. "Payback" isn't one of the best Mel Gibson movies, but it is a good one. Like always, Mel Gibson does a great job of acting, in this case, acting as the stubborn thief who just won't give up at any cost of getting his money back. The movie is entertaining while you wonder how Porter is ever going to get his money back and get past all the people who are on Val's side, to even find Val. "Payback" is a good and entertaining movie and I recommend anybody who likes movies about crime or crime stalkers to get it.
Rating: Summary: Great Movie I mean Great! Review: Wonderful movie, dark but wonderful. Great characters and great story. Along with Fight Club, this movie should set a standard for a new genre of film. I enjoyed this movie from the start, the story is set up wonderfully. There are alot of depressing scenes, but hey, whose life is peachy without any problems. The question is, how do you handle those problems? Porter (Mel Gibson) handles his with a gun and intimidation. Ahhh, if could just be that easy. Porter is driven to get what is his, and will not let anything or anyone stand in his way. A smart and well thought out movie. Plus the other Porter (Maria Bella's dog) is a Dogue de Bordeaux (like Hooch from Turner & Hooch.) HEY, I want a sequel and I want Porter (the dog) on screen for at least 60 minutes. Oh yeah, buy this movie, Much much better than the English Patient
Rating: Summary: Violence Glorified Review: I really wanted to "root for the bad guy", but I had a hard time doing that. I didn't like Mel Gibson's character much more than I did anyone else in the movie. His hooker girlfriend was about the only one I could sympathize with. If you like action, Payback is definitely full of that. But there was just too much killing for my taste. Porter (Mel Gibson) was the "last man standing".
Rating: Summary: One of Mel's best! Review: This is probably one of the best films of Gibson I've ever seen! Simple, funny, and well....Mel Gibson!
Rating: Summary: An Overlooked Action Packed Gem! Review: For some reason the box office draw of Mel Gibson didn't quite work when this movie came out, in essence it was pretty much a flop. Now on home video people are starting to wise up as to what a great and entertaining film Payback is. Mel Gibson is a bad guy, but not as bad as the people he kills. There are explosions and gun battles, death and destruction, beautiful women and lots of cussing. All for $70,000 owed to Gibson's character, Porter from a previous heist! Nothing more and nothing less. The violence is somewhat serious in its portrayal, coming off as excessive even though it really isn't. But bang for bang, buck for buck Payback is action packed entertainment that you'll turn to again and again when your local cable company has decided to offer you their rendition of a blizzard instead of regularly scheduled programming. A solid video purchase.
Rating: Summary: Please step forward 32 Years Review: An excellent remake of the 1967 film 'Point Blank' staring Lee Marvin as Walker. In 'Payback' the main character Walker becomes Porter. Some of the character names along with parts of the basic plot have been updated in this 1999 effort. This is a very dark and hard edged film. The original movie was based on the book 'The Hunter'. If you enjoy 'Payback' I highly recommend viewing 'Point Blank'.
Rating: Summary: A well done "bad-guy movie" Review: Rooting for the bad guy isn't always a bad thing. Gibson does a good job playing a bad man. Porter doesn't take crap from anybody. Gibson played it as the strong silent type. Speak rarely, and back it up when you do. I have to appreciate any movie that has Kristofferson in it. Who knew he was such a movie great? He added a nice touch as the top dog of "The Outfit". Lucy Liu comes on strong as a dominatrix with a nasty attitude that puts a thorn in Porter's side. The movie has a dark feel to it that I feel adds to it's impact. Some comedy is thrown in to lighten the mood, and does it's job well. The idea of working from a point of principals plays a major role in the movie as the money factor gets blown out of proportion by everyone but Porter. It's not about the amount of money, but the fact that it's his, not theirs, that matters. While it's not what I would consider a "10 Best" movie, Payback has all of the elements required to make it enjoyable. I liked it enough to buy it and watch it more than a couple times. I'd say it's a worthy purchase, especially if you're a Gibson fan. (Or maybe a Kristofferson fan)
Rating: Summary: action movie Review: A gang loses a lot of money and think Mel Gibson is the one who owes them the money and they want payback. Ironically, the movie's title is Payback. For the amount of money you are paying, I would suggest getting "What Do You Say To A Naked Lady" which is available on amazon.com.
Rating: Summary: A REFRESHING CHANGE Review: It is nice to see a break from the usual action movie. Good guy goes after bad buys for some moral wrong that has been done to him.......NOT THIS MOVIE. Mel Gibson's character of Porter is morally deplorable and you cant help but route for him the whole way through the movie. He has been backstabbed out of 70 grand and he does anything and everything to get in back. There is plenty of action, great one liners, and a terrific supporting cast. Lucy Liu as a high price dominatrix hooker is just priceless (as she would say in the film....HUBBA, HUBBA, HUBBA). Along with Braveheart, this is a must have Mel Gibson movie. Enjoy!
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