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Payback

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Payback (1999)

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51 %
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Reviews Counted: 69

Fresh: 35

Rotten:34

Average Rating: 5.8/10

Consensus: Sadistic violence and rote humor saddle a predictable action premise.

Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Synopsis: Mel Gibson is Porter, a ruthless criminal, who is gunned down by his wife and friend after they rob an Asian gang. When Porter survives the attack, he makes it his mission to exact revenge on his... Mel Gibson is Porter, a ruthless criminal, who is gunned down by his wife and friend after they rob an Asian gang. When Porter survives the attack, he makes it his mission to exact revenge on his friend, who has used the robbery money to buy his way into a powerful syndicate. Added to the mix are crooked police officers, members of the syndicate, and the Asian gang, who are out for a bit of revenge themselves. Based on the series of novels by Donald E. Westlake, which were translated to the screen previously in John Boorman's POINT BLANK (1967). [More]

Starring: Mel Gibson, Gregg Henry, Maria Bello, Deborah Unger

Starring: Mel Gibson, Gregg Henry, Maria Bello, Deborah Unger, David Paymer, Bill Duke, William Devane, Kris Kristofferson, James Coburn

Director: Brian Helgeland

Director: Brian Helgeland
Screenwriter: Brian Helgeland, Terry Hayes
Producer: Bruce Davey
Composer: Chris Boardman

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Payback

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
03/25/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Both star and director seem to be more interested in playing off perceptions of Gibson's on-screen persona than in actually telling the story, which lurches along from one violent set piece to the next.

Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
03/05/02
Nick Roddick
Sight and Sound
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
10/18/08
Emanuel Levy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A solid enough action comedy, albeit one that had a lot of potential to be wittier and darker.

Full Review Source: Calgary Movies | comment Comment
06/21/07
Ryan Cracknell
Calgary Movies

A tough, entertaining homage to the kind of gritty '70s crime film that long ago gave way to a slicker yet tamer form of action movie ... Both the studio's cut and Helgeland's cut work about equally well.

Full Review Source: FulvueDrive-in.com | comment Comment
05/10/07
Chuck O'Leary
FulvueDrive-in.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/21/05
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This is the seediest studio picture I've seen since TO LIVE OR DIE IN LA. Even the theater floor feels stickier while watching this thing unfold.

Full Review Source: Ain't It Cool Movie Reviews | comment Comment
06/25/05
Moriarty
Ain't It Cool Movie Reviews
N/R

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Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
04/09/05
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews
N/R

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Full Review Source: Nation | comment Comment
03/03/05
Stuart Klawans
Nation

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
06/14/04
Dragan Antulov
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Payback has its moments and its thrills, but the payoff just isn't there.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
04/13/04
Louis B. Hobson
Jam! Movies
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Blather | comment Comment
01/09/04
Eugene Novikov
Film Blather

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
05/20/03
Leonard Schwarz
Palo Alto Weekly

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | comment Comment
02/08/03
John R. McEwen
Film Quips Online

Payback is just Die Hard: Without a Soul.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Ron Wells
Film Threat

Demonstrates why Mel Gibson is a movie star: He can take mediocre material and through sheer willpower -- not to mention oodles of charm -- make it work.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
11/06/02
Jeff Strickler
Minneapolis Star Tribune

The movie squanders its energy on morbid levels of grisly, kinky violence, much of it sexual.

Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer | comment Comment
10/15/02
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Montreal Film Journal | comment Comment
09/10/02
Kevin N. Laforest
Montreal Film Journal

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Movie Habit | comment Comment
08/21/02
Marty Mapes
Movie Habit
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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