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02/09/06
Payback (1999)
51
%
Tomatometer
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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... [More]
Starring: Mel Gibson, Gregg Henry, Maria Bello, Deborah Unger
Director: Brian Helgeland
Reviews for Payback
Top CriticClick to read the article
03/25/06
Top CriticBoth 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
Too meanspirited and brutal for its own good.
01/01/00
Very good fun!
01/01/00
Top CriticClick to read the article
03/24/02
Top CriticClick to read the article
07/21/05
Top CriticClick to read the article
01/01/00
It's a good, strong shot for fans who like their crime stories rough and no-nonsense.
01/01/00
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01/01/00
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
The film's moral manipulations betray its fascistic heart.
01/01/00
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01/01/00
Like its main character, Payback is entertainingly true to itself, and in the absence of any real imagination or ingenuity, for an audience tired of movies that trip over themselves trying to please, that goes a long way.
01/01/00
Payback rips off the way a noir film is shot and looks.
01/01/00
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06/14/04
Payback is not, in any way, an entertaining film.
01/01/00
If you thought crime in the streets was a problem, wait till you take a gander at Payback, a violent, sadistic mess.
01/01/00
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10/18/08
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