Cast: Ben Affleck, Aaron Eckhart, Uma Thurman, Colm Feore, Paul Giamatti, Peter Friedman, Joe Morton
Director: John Woo
Producers: Terence Chang, John Davis, Michael Hackett, John Woo
Screenplay: Dean Georgaris, based on the short story by Philip K. Dick
Cinematography: Jeffrey L. Kimball
Music: John Powell
U.S. Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Aside from a couple of signature flourishes, there's nothing to mark Paycheck as the product of acclaimed action director John Woo. In fact, there's little about this movie that makes it worth anyone's time and money. With a script that waffles between being hilariously absurd and insultingly stupid, and action scenes that won't cause anyone's pulse to skip a beat, Paycheck is less appealing than a lump of coal in a Christmas stocking.
Since it is the holiday season, I decided to find something nice I could say about this movie. After thinking long and hard, I have the following to offer: it is not the worst movie playing in multiplexes this December. In fact, it's not even the worst science fiction-tinged adventure story. That honor goes to Timeline. Some day, when it's available on video, Paycheck will be great for drinking games. Every time any character does something stupid, take a shot. The participants in the game will all be drunk before the film is half over.
After a somewhat uneven start, John Woo's American career kicked into high gear with Face/Off and Mission: Impossible II. Then came Windtalkers. Now this. Positive name recognition is hard to get in Hollywood, but almost impossible to reacquire once lost. Woo is on the way to losing his. He needs to reverse the trend now, before things snowball. Paycheck is bad enough that it may convince some movie-goers not to go to another film just because it was made by John Woo.
Ben Affleck, who fits the action hero model as well as a proverbial square peg in a round hole, plays Michael Jennings, an engineer who routinely performs top-secret jobs for his billionaire boss, Rethrick (Aaron Eckhart). Once the job is complete, Michael allows his memory to be wiped. Usually, only a month or two are lost, but this time Rethrick is offering Michael a huge paycheck in exchange for three years of his life. Everything seems to go smoothly, except that, when Michael tries to access the money, he finds it's not there, and suddenly his life is in jeopardy. And, with exception of a biologist named Rachel (Uma Thurman), with whom he had a relationship during the wiped three years, he seems to have few allies.
Movies based on Philip K. Dick short stories have an uneven history, and even the best of them tend to depart significantly from their written inspirations (Minority Report, Blade Runner). Paycheck is easily the worst motion picture to bear Dick's name in any capacity. The screenplay has apparently been written with lobotomized teenagers in mind. Rarely does a character react to any situation intelligently. The plot is a mess of contrivances that will strain the credulity of even the most blasé of viewers. Suspension of disbelief is virtually impossible. Villains and heroes alike can be counted on to do the most idiotic thing in nearly every situation. And there aren't even any good action scenes to redeem this mess. On those rare occasions when Woo shifts into high gear, it's for generic car chases and shootouts.
The fact that the story uses amnesia as a plot device will immediately bring to mind last year's The Bourne Identity (Affleck and Matt Damon's friendship serves to enforce the connection), but there's really no comparison. The Bourne Identity may have contained its share of plot holes, but they were largely invisible until the movie was examined after the end credits rolled. In Paycheck, they are instantly evident, creating the kind of frustration that comes from watching a movie that views its audience as a bunch of witless zombies. This is a bad film, complete with lackluster acting, brainless writing, and uninspired direction. A lump of coal is preferable.
© 2003 James Berardinelli