Payback

Rating:
Summary: Ya Better Buy Two Copies.
Review: After reading some of the other reviews. Gee I guess I better go watch this movie for the oh 30th time!Anybody who did not Love this flick, Must have just gotten Payed back. The storyline is fantastic, The writing is awsome,And the actors chosen for each part(right down to the drug delivery boy) were PERFECT.I am still Quoting lines from this movie.It may very well be my favorite of all time.Coburn,and Bill Devane are priceless.My only regret is missing it at the theaters.I must of been Sh..t nuts.Naa to much moxy.The movie grabs you into the story right from the start.Forget bathroom breaks,who wants em.All the way through I was hoping that it was going to be a longer movie than it was.Because the way he pays back,Well we all wish we could be so cold and cool at the same time and to top that, funny also. No reader of this review,Pay no attention to the negative reviews of this film and do like I titled this, Get two copies,Your gonna need em And stay away from any guys named Val. They tend to be trouble. B.R. B.A.Ok

Rating:
Summary: A Better Brand of Bad Guy
Review: When it comes to playing tough guys, Mel Gibson usually manages to remain a good guy, no matter how violent, psychotic, or barbaric his character. After all those years of playing a nice guy, he finally has a chance to play something different. In Payback, Mel is one of the bad guys, but make no mistake, he's still the hero. Gibson plays a robber named Porter, who at the start of the story is having bullets surgically removed from his back (under less-than-sanitary conditions). It seems like an occupational hazard. Play for the bad guys long enough, and sooner or later you'll wind up regretting it. But, as Porter tells us, five months of laying around didn't exactly change his disposition. If anything, it made him angry.

Porter, now healed and fueled by thoughts of revenge, attempts to find his partner, Val (Gregg Henry), and retrieve the $70,000 stolen from him. There is no finesse, greasing of palms, or clever detective work. Porter is not a subtle man. Once he gets a lead, he follows it, heedless of the danger or the people (members of a syndicate known as "the Outfit") that he is confronting.

There is a desperation in every play Porter makes, as if he doesn't care if he lives or dies any more. His wife has overdosed on heroine. His former lover, Rosie (Maria Bello, from television's "ER"), is a hooker. Two crooked cops are watching every move he makes, determined to steal the money from him if he can find it. And, to make matters worse, Val has told the Japanese gangsters from whom they stole the money that Porter was behind the whole thing.

There is a dark, comedic side to Payback as well. First, it seems almost laughable that anyone would go through so much just for $70,000. As one of the Outfit's head honchos (James Coburn as Fairfax) says, "I have suits that cost more than that!" Second, the absurdity of his actions as he takes on the Outfit shows brass that even James Bond couldn't muster. Despite the wicked humor, there is more violence than laughs. People expecting Lethal Weapon will be disappointed.

Make no mistake, Payback is brutally violent. People are beaten, abused, shot, run over, blown up, and tortured. This isn't the normal, silly Hollywood violence, either. There is a darkness in each act, even when -- as in the bedroom antics of Val and his mistress Pearl (Lucy Alexis Liu) -- it is intended to be comical. The squeamish should think twice before seeing this one, but for fans of the action genre, this movie will hit the spot.

Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable villian
Review: Gibson plays a nasty villian. He has absolutely no redeeming qualities, and is completely believeable in his role. He is a tough guy trying to get what is his and staying one step ahead of the rest of the bad guys. I recommend this movie because it focuses more on story line instead of action or effects. If you do not like violent movies or movies without a happy/hopeful ending you will not like this movie.

Rating:
Summary: good stuff for the seventies
Review: This is the kind of movie that reminds a lot the seventies' classics. Mel Gibson plays the main character, a cruel thief who will do what it takes to get his money. With a cast totally formed by actors who were famous in the seventies for these kind of pictures(like Kris Kristofferson or James Coburn), Payback is original, and that is a lot, if we consider the trashes that Hollywood throw into the theaters nowadays. Better than Gibson's previous films, Payback is a violent and thrilling ride, shot with a dark, opressive and dirty photography (what makes it seems like a seventies crime-drama), characters that don't worth nothing (even the main character is , in fact, a Humphrey Bogart kind of anti-hero) and a sick plot. Porter (Gibson) hits and kills people with no significant reasons, and he seems that he is having a lot of fun.If you are looking for something interesting, this is a good option, but if you want a typical action flick, with impressive adventure scenes, stay away: the action in Payback is just basic, although very cruel and realistic.

Rating:
Summary: Dreary and depressing
Review: This movie is dreary and depressing, with no redeeming features, other than the small role played by James Coburn. The action is improbable and the plot is idiotic, and I am a big fan of good action movies.

Rating:
Summary: Definetly worth it
Review: Pay no attention to the other reviews on this movie. It was great. If you are a fan of tough guys, this is great for you especially. Mel Gibson plays a great role. The way they gave the film an old look was ingenious. BUY THIS MOVIE

Rating:
Summary: Flash Back Good Stuff From The 70's
Review: This flick is on par with many great action flicks of the late 60's and the 70's. The Seven Ups, The Mechanic, Bullet, Point Blank (Lee Marvin), French Connection, Super Fly, --- The time honored "Anti-Hero" movie where a semi bad or (real bad) guy gets some revenge and a whole lot of action along the way. He takes his lumps and gives back 10 Fold. This is a funny, juicy, fast paced action flick that has made it to my personal library on video and DVD! This was the Mel Gibson film I was waiting for. No "Family" picture here. This is the "Road Warrior" Mel -- back in action.

Rating:
Summary: Boy, does this stink!
Review: Seldom does a movie have such gratititous violence, offensive portrayals of virtually every stereostype you can think of, and absolutely no dramatic tension. The only other movie that I've seen that has ever come close to being this horrible is BAD LIEUTENANT. The all-star cast (male, of course) should have their heads examined for being in such a loser picture.

Rating:
Summary: Why Root For This Worthless Anti-hero?
Review: We are supposedly supposed to cheer on a guy who will do anything to get back $70,000 that was stolen from him. But he stole the money in the first place; it's not his. Gibson play the role of a total sociopath who thinks nothing of stealing from or killing anyone. This man has no socially redeeming value yet we are supposed to identify with him. Hollywood has gone a bit too far with this one.

The action can be fun at times, but most of the goings on are really quite ridiculous.

The only reason to watch the movie is to ogle Lucy Liu (from the Ally McBeal TV series) who plays an S&M prostitute.

Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your money
Review: This film is so boring, that you will fall asleep after latest 30 minutes. There is less action, a stupide story, bad talking. The most used word in this film is f**k! This is the worst movie I have seen up to now from Mel Gibson.