Paycheck Review
by Bob Bloom (bobbloom AT iquest DOT net)February 19th, 2004
PAYCHECK (2003) 2 stars out of 4. Starring Ben Affleck, Uma Thurman, Aaron Eckhart, Paul Giamatti, Colm Feore, Joe Morton and Michael C. Hall. Screenplay by Dean Georgaris, based upon the short story by Phillip K. Dick. Music by John Powell. Directed by John Woo. Rated PG-13. Running time: Approx. 120 mins.
Michael Jennings is an amoral engineering genius who specializes in taking existing technology from one company and adapting as well as improving it for another.
Jennings then goes through a procedure in which his memory is erased so he cannot divulge any company secrets.
Jennings (Ben Affleck) has just devoted three years to his latest project, but instead of walking away with an eight-figure paycheck, he discovers he forfeited his salary and is being hunted.
His life depends on his ability to decipher 19 clues he left for himself.
This is the premise of Paycheck, a new science fiction thriller based on a Phillip K. Dick short story.
Directed by John Woo, Paycheck, in structure and style, is a kissing cousin to Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report, which also was based on a Dick story. Both deal with the corruption of technology.
In fact, Paycheck lacks the style and feel filmgoers have come to associate with Woo movies.
It lacks the theatricality, the larger-than-life operatic quality Woo usually brings to his features.
After setting up its premise, Paycheck does speed along as Jennings moves from place to place, uncovering his clues while thwarting various attempts on his life.
The fun lies in watching Jennings remember why he mailed the various everyday items to himself, then utilizing them to extricate either himself or his girlfriend, Rachel (Uma Thurman).
As in Minority Report, as well as some of his other works, Dick’s story is a cautionary tale about the threat of technology running amok. And while, I won’t divulge the type of machine Jennings was working on, it will up your odds of winning the lottery.
Affleck is rather bland as Jennings. While he is most resourceful and charming, he just can’t pull off being some sort of super braniac. Perhaps the wiseguy smirk is what does it.
Taking into account that Jennings’ memory was wiped clean, the sparks between him and Rachel are nil. Their relationship is never truly developed.
Thurman is lovely and does as best she can with the material at hand.
And Aaron Eckhart’s corporate villain is strictly one dimensional.
Paycheck has one giant leap of illogic, which cannot be revealed, but which most filmgoers will be able to pick up on if they pay attention.
Paycheck is nothing more than an adequate thriller; a standard chase movie. From any other director it would be considered acceptable, but you expect higher standards from Woo. This is not one of his better efforts.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, Ind. He can be reached by e-mail at bbloom@journalandcourier.com or at
bloomjc@yahoo.com.
Other reviews by Bloom can be found at the Rottentomatoes Web site, www.rottentomatoes.com or at the Internet Movie Database Web site,
www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom
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.
