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03/25/06
Payback (1999)
51 %
Reviews Counted: 68 Fresh: 35 Rotten:33 Average Rating: 5.8/10
Consensus:
Sadistic violence and rote humor saddle a predictable action premise.
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... [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
Screenwriter: Brian Helgeland, Terry Hayes
Producer: Bruce Davey
Composer: Chris Boardman
Reviews
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02/09/06
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.
03/05/02
A solid enough action comedy, albeit one that had a lot of potential to be wittier and darker.
06/21/07
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.
05/10/07
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07/21/05
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.
06/25/05
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04/09/05
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03/03/05
Payback has its moments and its thrills, but the payoff just isn't there.
04/13/04
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01/09/04
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.
11/06/02
The movie squanders its energy on morbid levels of grisly, kinky violence, much of it sexual.
10/15/02
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09/10/02
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