Paycheck Review
by Steve Rhodes (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)December 29th, 2003
PAYCHECK
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2003 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
PAYCHECK, by FACE/OFF's John Woo, is an intelligent sci-fi thriller that's intriguing and exhilarating, working both as a think piece and as an action picture. Ben Affleck (DAREDEVIL and GIGLI), not exactly Hollywood's strongest actor, does a fine job this time as Michael Jennings, a professional reverse engineer. For reasons never quite apparent, he has his brain erased of each job as soon as it is completed. He is employed by the malevolent Allcom, whose CEO is a smirkily sinister guy named Rethrick (Aaron Eckhart, IN THE COMPANY OF MEN). Allcom has a high tech facility that even the CIA would covet.
Although Michael's assignments are normally for a standard eight weeks, Rethrick makes him an offer he doesn't refuse -- an eight-figure paycheck for three years of to-be-forgotten work, which, he finds out later, involves peaking into the future. While on his new assignment, he falls for a Ph.D. biologist named Rachel. With a flirtatious innocence but near action hero skills, Rachel is played by KILL BILL's Uma Thurman. Both convincing and funny, Thurman steals every scene she's in.
Woo, of course, is great with all of the action sequences. His best piece of work this time is a long motorcycle and car chase and demolition derby, which he manages to make fresh even if we have seen similar scenes hundreds of times before. What makes the movie special, however, is the story, which is based on a short story by Philip K. Dick (MINORITY REPORT). Among many fascinating elements to the narrative are the contents of an envelope that is delivered to Michael after his big mission is completed. How he comes to receive these seemingly trivial items of personal effects is interesting, but the real mystery comes when he realizes that every one of them will prove crucial to him at some point in the future. You'll be engrossed thinking about each of them and trying to guess how they will be used.
The film's ultimate message, which isn't exactly original, is that knowing the future can be dangerous. The movies have taught us this lesson before, but this life lesson is delivered with verve and style. The question you'll be left with is why this popcorn movie didn't open during the summer season, when it would fit more naturally. But, if you're looking for a good time, PAYCHECK is worth spending some money from your holiday paycheck even if it's many digits shy of Michael's eight.
PAYCHECK runs 1:59. The film is rated PG-13 for "intense action violence and brief language" and would be acceptable for kids around 11 and up.
My son Jeffrey, age 14, gave the movie *** 1/2, saying that he found the story fresh and the movie funny. He especially liked Uma Thurman's work in it, and he kept remarking on how great she is in action pictures.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Christmas Day, 2003. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC and the Century theaters.
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Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
