Payback (1999/I)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Brian Helgeland

Writers:

Donald E. Westlake (novel)
Brian Helgeland (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

5 February 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

No More Mr. Nice Guy

Plot:

Porter is shot by his wife and best friend and is left to die. When he survives he plots revenge.

Plot Keywords:

Money | Revenge | Robbery | Criminal | Prostitute

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Mel Gibson	...	Porter
Gregg Henry	...	Val Resnick
Maria Bello	...	Rosie
David Paymer	...	Arthur Stegman
Bill Duke	...	Det. Hicks
Deborah Kara Unger	...	Mrs. Lynn Porter
John Glover	...	Phil
William Devane	...	Carter
Lucy Liu	...	Pearl (as Lucy Alexis Liu)
Jack Conley	...	Det. Leary
Kris Kristofferson	...	Bronson
Mark Alfa	...	Johnny's Friend #2
Kwame Amoaku	...	Radioman
Justin Ashforth	...	Michael, Bartender #1
Len Bajenski	...	Fairfax Bodyguard #1

Also Known As:

Porter (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, language, and drug and sexual content.

Runtime:

100 min | USA:90 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #36313) | New Zealand:R18 | Iceland:16 | Argentina:13 | Peru:14 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Philippines:R-18 | Hungary:18 | Italy:VM18 (tv rating) | Australia:MA | Belgium:KNT | Finland:K-16 | France:-16 | Germany:16 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 (cut) | Canada:16+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Icon Entertainment International

Trivia:

The bar where Val meets Stegman is called Varrick's. This is a reference to Walter Matthau's crime thriller Charley Varrick (1973), which was an influence on Payback.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Porter gets hit by the car, the windshield is destroyed. But when they show him rolling on the ground afterwards, the windshield is undamaged.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Porter: [voiceover] GSW: that's what the hospitals call it: gunshot wound. Doctor has to report it to the police. That makes it hard for guys in my line to get what I call, quality health care.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Payback: Straight Up - The Director's Cut (2006) (V)

Soundtrack:

It's a Man's Man's Man's World

Top-notch

Easily one of Gibson's best, and one of the best of it's kind you will ever see. Homage to film noir, combined with usual Gibson tongue-in-cheekness, and some fabulous supporting roles from the likes of Coburn, Kristofferson, Liu, and Devane. Henry does a stirling job here opposite Gibson. Liu is simply wonderful in a role that - worryingly perhaps - looks like it was made for her!

Porter's single-minded, no-nonsense determination to get what he sees as justice for himself strikes a chord, and has you rooting for him right to the end. This film rarely lets up on the intensity, and gets better as it goes along. It will make you laugh and cringe at the same time, but you won't want to take your eyes off the screen for a second. It looks good, feels good, and oozes class. Definitely a must-see.