Paycheck Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)January 5th, 2004
"Paycheck" Comes Up Just a Bit Short
by Homer Yen
(c) 2004
"Paycheck" is the kind of film that Orville Redenbacher hopes for. This is a sci-fi adventure helmed by Director John Woo, whose filming techniques are generally more hip and more vanguard than most. And it's based on a short story by Philip Dick, whose tales have provided the inspiration for great sci-fi films like "Minority Report" and "Blade Runner." Now, "Paycheck" comes up several dollars short compared to those other two masterpieces. But, as far as action films go (and as far as Ben Affleck films go), you'll find that this futuristic thriller isn't as taxing as one might assume.
Heck, if you can get by all of the scientific mumbo jumbo and accept the premise of being able to see into the future, you'll be surprised at what a satisfying movie this could be. Yet the film is not about a person's ability to see into the future. It's actually about a man, Michael Jennings (Ben Affleck), trying to reconstruct his past.
He is a brilliant reverse engineer. Companies hire him to work tirelessly to reconstruct and upgrade technological products by tearing existing products apart and putting it back together again with his own refinements. Because of the top-secret nature of his work, he is subject to a memory wipe afterwards, which erases all short-term memory. Michael will be paid handsomely but will have no recollection of what he did. After a recent job, it seems that the FBI and shadowy figures are now out to kill him. But he can't remember why and all that he has to help him is his comic-relief buddy (Paul Giamatti) and an envelope of odd household items that he had mysteriously and unexplainably mailed to himself. He wonders what he can do with a paper clip, a bus pass, a matchbook, and other items as he runs in and out of hiding.
The film borrows somewhat from "Total Recall," but this version is slicker. Like that movie, our hero has a memory problem and a trail of incongruous clues to help him piece everything together. Perhaps, I'm a bit more enamored with this film because I personally love a good puzzle. And Michael Jennings has a very tough puzzle to solve.
"Paycheck" does provide for more than a few moments of fun. There's a definite sense of I-wonder-what-to-do-next-with-this-item, which allows us to somewhat live vicariously through our hero. Ben Affleck also finds a lightweight role that he can easily fit into that may exonerate him from some recent trash that he's been in. And, it's good to see Uma Thurman, who plays his capable love interest that helps him find his answers.
Some films can be described as goofy fun. That is, it's not meant to be so self-important that it falls apart under its own weight. It has a brisk enough pace to keep you watching the big screen. And you can feel confident that you made a decent decision about how you've spent your time on a Saturday afternoon. "Paycheck" is the kind of goofy fun that shouldn't be rated using stars. It should be rated using popcorn pieces. And for this low-impact film, it gets a 3-popcorn out of 4 rating.
Grade: B-
S: 0 out of 3
L: 0 out of 3
V: 1 out of 3
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