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Payback

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Payback (1999)

51%
25%
75%
N/A
N/A
N/A
51 %
Reviews Counted: 68 Fresh: 35  Rotten:33 Average Rating: 5.8/10
 
Consensus: Sadistic violence and rote humor saddle a predictable action premise.
 

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins

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 friend, who has used the robbery money to buy his way into a powerful syndicate. Added to the mix are... 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]

Genre: Action/Adventure

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

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

DVD Info

Release:

Oct 4, 2007

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Keep Case - Sensormatic
  • Widescreen - 16.9

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround - English, French
  • Dolby Digitial 5.1 - Surround - English, French
  • Closed Captioned - English

Reviews

 
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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 | comment Comment
03/25/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
02/09/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
N/A

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 | comment Comment
03/05/02
Nick Roddick
Sight and Sound
Ratings Image
N/A

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

Full Review | comment Comment
06/21/07
Ryan Cracknell
Calgary Movies
Ratings Image
B

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

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Full Review | comment Comment
07/21/05
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
N/A

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

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

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Full Review | comment Comment
03/03/05
Stuart Klawans
Nation
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2/10

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Full Review | comment Comment
06/14/04
Dragan Antulov
rec.arts.movies.reviews
Ratings Image
2.5/5

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

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

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Full Review | comment Comment
01/09/04
Eugene Novikov
Film Blather
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2/4

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Full Review | comment Comment
05/20/03
Leonard Schwarz
Palo Alto Weekly
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4/5

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Full Review | comment Comment
02/08/03
John R. McEwen
Film Quips Online
Ratings Image
3.5/5

Payback is just Die Hard: Without a Soul.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/08/02
Ron Wells
Film Threat
Ratings Image
N/A

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 | comment Comment
11/06/02
Jeff Strickler
Minneapolis Star Tribune
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2.5/4

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

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

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Full Review | comment Comment
09/10/02
Kevin N. Laforest
Montreal Film Journal
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2.5/4

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Full Review | comment Comment
08/21/02
Marty Mapes
Movie Habit
Ratings Image
4/4

A higher class of thriller.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/18/02
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle
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