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Movies / On DVD / Paycheck
Paycheck

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Paycheck (2003)

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Reviews Counted:138

Fresh:37

Rotten:101

Average Rating:4.7/10

Consensus: Though Dick's short story has an intriguing premise, Woo reduces it to a lot of meaningless chases, shoot-outs, and explosions.

Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Synopsis: Adapted from a mind-bending sci-fi thriller by Philip K. Dick, the slick and riveting PAYCHECK is directed by John Woo (THE KILLER, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE II)--the king of artful gunfighting... Adapted from a mind-bending sci-fi thriller by Philip K. Dick, the slick and riveting PAYCHECK is directed by John Woo (THE KILLER, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE II)--the king of artful gunfighting flicks--who shows off his agility here with flat-out, white-knuckle cinematic entertainment. Michael Jennings (Ben Affleck) is a high-paid engineer who works on hush-hush computer inventions and technology for shady companies. Later, his memory is wiped clean, so he has no recollection of his work. His so-called friend Rethrick (Aaron Eckhardt, the master of smarmy mean-spiritedness, as in IN THE COMPANY OF MEN) offers him enough money to retire by working on a project at Rethrick's company, Allcom. When Jennings emerges three years later, sans memory, he tries to collect his paycheck. At the bank, he's handed a manila envelope filled with cryptic items he doesn't recognize, and told he voluntarily forfeited his entire paycheck. He also has a stunning girlfriend named Dr. Rachel Porter (Uma Thurman) who is likewise ensnared in the conspiracy. Jennings must somehow piece together the clues he left for himself, and find out why everyone is out to kill him. As usual, Dick's story is the basis for a killer script that travels from point A to Z with gripping immediacy. The clues left for Jennings are amusing writerly devices, intricately pieced together. Woo clearly enjoyed choreographing the wild gunfighting and chase sequences (slo-mo bullets aplenty), sending Affleck and Thurman on the run with a BMW motorcycle. [More]

Starring: Ben Affleck, Aaron Eckhart, Uma Thurman, Paul Giamatti

Starring: Ben Affleck, Aaron Eckhart, Uma Thurman, Paul Giamatti, Colm Feore, John Morton, Michael C. Hall

Director: John Woo

Director: John Woo
Screenwriter: Dean Georgaris
Producer: John Davis, Michael Hackett, John Woo, Terence Chang
Composer: John Powell
Studio: Paramount Pictures

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Reviews for Paycheck

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61 - 80 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Total Recall without the ambiguity and Fifty First Dates without the jokes. Now I’m referencing movies that aren’t even out yet, what’s wrong with me?

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
12/27/03
Fred Topel
Fred Topel
About.com

A light-weight and entertaining piece of sci-fi

Full Review Source: CinemaBlend.com | comment Comment
12/27/03
Joshua Tyler
Joshua Tyler
CinemaBlend.com

Seems like yet another job for hire for the great filmmaker, but one with a strong enough story to sustain our interest for two hours.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
12/27/03
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
12/27/03
Boston Phoenix
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The strength of Paycheck is its story which, despite being infused with the trappings of a Hollywood action film, still hangs together.

Full Review Source: Journal News (Westchester, NY) | comment Comment
12/27/03
Marshall Fine
Marshall Fine
Journal News (Westchester, NY)

It's all about getting a fat paycheck.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
12/26/03
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Without ever quite becoming boring, Paycheck seems to narrow into a routine pattern, and a plot that at first had nuance and the hint of a broader meaning degenerates into chases and standard action.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
12/26/03
Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle

Dean Georgaris scripted Paycheck from a Philip K. Dick story, and John Woo turned it into the sort of film plastic that groans of metal fatigue.

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
12/26/03
David Elliott
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune

Less exciting than it should have been.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
12/26/03
Shawn Levy
Shawn Levy
Oregonian

You may not buy everything about this movie, but you'll likely leave it with a smile.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
12/26/03
Bob Townsend
Bob Townsend
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Dean Georgaris' script leans too much on Affleck going MacGyver at the exact right moment.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
12/26/03
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

Affleck is just fine when he plays a regular guy, but whenever he tries to, like, act, he ends up looking like a perplexed and mildly retarded simian.

Full Review Source: Planet Sick-Boy | comment Comment
12/26/03
Jon Popick
Jon Popick
Planet Sick-Boy

The film's greatest drawback was its director's lack of vision and understanding of the world of technology.

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
12/26/03
JoBlo
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium

Ben Affleck stars in a mix of Hitchcock style and 21st century mind games that can't quite cash itself.

Full Review Source: Netflix | comment Comment
12/25/03
James Rocchi
James Rocchi
Netflix

If a movie is going to flout, or at least bend, the laws of the universe, it at least ought to obey its own internal rules.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
12/25/03
Michael O'Sullivan
Michael O'Sullivan
Washington Post

[Woo] still has pretty much of a tin ear for American performances, so he lets Affleck doze through the starring role. The film feels as if it has no center.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
12/25/03
Stephen Hunter
Stephen Hunter
Washington Post

Though the premise is provocative enough, the execution feels like a host of other violent action-drenched movies.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
12/25/03
Claudia Puig
Claudia Puig
USA Today

Once Jennings starts McGuyvering his way out of trouble using items from his manila envelope of tricks, the story careens into a brain-dead end.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
12/25/03
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide

A bloated thriller that runs out of steam long before its final interminable chase.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
12/25/03
Peter Howell
Peter Howell
Toronto Star

It's less like a movie than a DVD burned using a file-serving Web site where you can download favorite movie scenes.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
12/25/03
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
 
61 - 80 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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Latest News for Paycheck

August 31, 2006: A Taste of What's "Next" for Nicolas Cage
Any time I hear the phrase "movie based on a Philip K. Dick story," I know I have to do a little more research. The next PKD adaptation is Lee Tamahori's... More...

August 08, 2006: Paul Giamatti to Star as Philip K. Dick
He night not be as famous as H.G. Wells or Isaac Asimov, but ask a sci-fi enthusiast what they think of Philip K. Dick, and get ready for a lengthy conversation. The late and... More...

November 08, 2005: Nic Cage & Julianne Moore Will Do Sci-Fi Action Flick "Next"
Variety reports that Nicolas Cage and Julianne Moore will star in Revolution's "Next," which is a sci-fi action project based on a story by genre giant Philip K. Dick. More...

July 08, 2005: Trailer Bulletin: The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Head on over to the film's official site for your first look at the trailer to "The Exorcism of Emily Rose." The supernatural horror flick is directed by Scott... More...

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