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At the very start of the movie ‘Payback’, we see the main character proclaim that “most people do not know what their life is worth.” It is a bold claim that comes right at the beginning. Being a more observant viewer will allow you to really get the gist of the movie, after all the main character does say “I do. Seventy grand. That’s what they took from me. And that’s what I’m gonna get back.” Having heard this and looking at the title, it will be easy to understand what the movie is about. The final question, however, remains: Is the movie entertaining? Definitely.
The movie gets a lot of publicity from people who portray Porter as a bad guy hero. It also mentions what Helgeland, the director, has to say: “What I wanted was a bad hero without the need for justifications.” Naturally, one would not have to make the same sorts of justifications if, for example, Gibson is the one cast as the baddie instead of, say, James Woods. With Gibson, one gets the sense of a whimsical charm, of someone who stands on the outside of material like this and grins. Oh, he’s optimistic and furious, endorsement soaked, beaten, and bloodied within an inch of his life and the man is gritting his teeth in pain. His aesthetic is sobering and the imagery horrifying. At his core, however, there is a smile. The more deep seated character traits are usually comic – he is a joker, a satirist, and he only occasionally goes to the trouble of concealing that fact (the way he did in, for example, “The Year of Living Dangerously”).
It seems that Helgeland has an eye for fashion as well which has a great influence on “Payback” He styles the criminal subplot in such a way that it takes a life of its own and becomes the only thing that matters. In this instance Brian Helgeland co-wrote “L.A. Confidential” He only requires 70,000 dollars for his services. There is a problem, however: each of Porter’s enemies attempts to bribe him with greater amounts of money. The point of the movie is missed by a long shot. (It is possible for Porter to use 130,000 dollars to move a lot of business around and then just sit back and let the rest of the money come back, but we all know how that works.) I am cautious about going into some degree of physical veracity so let me state the obvious. His set up contains a basic double-cross and that makes it somewhat difficult to discuss certain other aspects of the story. Maybe some of these features will give you the general idea. For example, Porter noticed that a group of Chinese gangsters collecting money were not buckled and were not hoping for great deals of money. That in itself makes big bucks.
Some additional action gags involved a severed gas line on a car, a toy telephone, blackmailing with a cell phone, kidnapping, and a shocking scene where Porter nearly comes the closest anyone since Bond to being killed, but backwards. There is also a prostitute with a heart of gold (Maria Bello), a double-crossing dame (Deborah Kara Unger), a cynical policeman (Bill Duke), a huge mobster (Kris Kristofferson), and one who is even bigger (James Coburn).
This is the same in every industry, finding a new market for existing services. It is standard practice to deceive one’s opponent, but the creativity comes in how it is done. Yes, one might be surprised at the manner and time of how the tables are turned. And cinematographer Ericson Core captures a beautiful blue-green grittiness in the streets of Chicago, where the exterior scenes are lightened by the sound of elevated trains rumbling past so frequently that it will make the CTA riders chuckle.
The crux of the film “Payback” is cleverness, the ingenuity of its writing and artistry as well as the genius of Mel Gibson whose contribution is unrivaled. An actor with his trademark heavy feet or stern understanding of the material would not add to the fortitude of the film. Gibson is more of a ‘comedic action’ who participates in violence with a highly amused indifference, as one can see in “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.” Here he relishes the excess zeal. For instance, when a doctor treating him for gunshot wounds is pouring whiskey down his throat before he starts the smoking, or when he plugs glasses into the dollars from a beggar’s hat, or when, and how, he says “This Little Piggy,” or rather when he participates in any of his self operations.
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