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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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81 - 100 (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
 
 

Blazingly stupid, punishingly dull.

Full Review Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel | comment Comment
12/25/03
Phoebe Flowers
Phoebe Flowers
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

As a genius running for his life, Affleck's got the intensity of a frat brother racing to return a keg before he loses the deposit.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
12/25/03
Mark Rahner
Mark Rahner
Seattle Times

It's a sci-fi thriller that's so tired, routine and smothered in deja vu that it's rather shocking to think it was directed by John Woo.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
12/25/03
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
12/25/03
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A terribly muddled mess.

Full Review Source: Dallas Observer | comment Comment
12/25/03
Robert Wilonsky
Robert Wilonsky
Dallas Observer

Just more of the same old, lame old.

Full Review Source: Orlando Weekly | comment Comment
12/25/03
Steve Schneider
Steve Schneider
Orlando Weekly

You leave Paycheck feeling as if you've just watched a big-budget version of a made-for- television movie.

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
12/25/03
Timothy Knight
Timothy Knight
Reel.com

Belongs with the likes of Impostor: a near-future tale of paranoia and suspense of disappointingly generic proportions.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
12/25/03
Steven Rea
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer

Has the feel, alas, of a movie that Woo did so he could get to do something else -- it's not a very personal work for him, and it lacks freshness.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Daily News | comment Comment
12/25/03
Gary Thompson
Gary Thompson
Philadelphia Daily News

Affleck gives a sleek, economical performance as Jennings.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
12/25/03
Jay Boyar
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel

'Paycheck' is a speedy thing, both in story and appearance, Woo having given the film a clean, tooled-steel appearance.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/25/03
Chris Barsanti
Chris Barsanti
Film Threat

The whole project bears the marks of a bored director, and a script in constant flux.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
12/25/03
Stephen Whitty
Stephen Whitty
Newark Star-Ledger

This smooth but bland thriller may be the best we could possibly expect from John Woo directing a Philip K. Dick adaptation, especially when Ben Affleck is added to the mix.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
12/25/03
Elvis Mitchell
Elvis Mitchell
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Unlike Woo's Face/Off or Broken Arrow, there are no stunts, special effects or kinetic moments in Paycheck that really blow you away.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
12/25/03
Jonathan Foreman
Jonathan Foreman
New York Post

The second half of the film is one overlong action sequence linked to another.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
12/25/03
Jack Mathews
Jack Mathews
New York Daily News

Every scene screams, 'I'm only doing this for the money.'

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
12/25/03
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune

Woo isn't as much interested in ideas as in the physical complications they provide. Nor does he work too hard to give the scenario credibility.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
12/25/03
Duane Dudek
Duane Dudek
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

There's only limited suspense and absolutely nothing like a character you can believe in.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Star | comment Comment
12/25/03
Robert W. Butler
Robert W. Butler
Kansas City Star

A mostly tangled affair that betrays an intriguing premise and botches most opportunites to deepen the proceedings.

Full Review Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News | comment Comment
12/25/03
Robert Denerstein
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News

This mishmash of Philip K. Dick, cheesy romance, Hitchcock references and Woo's own BMW commercials is sadly outdated on delivery.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
12/25/03
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews
 
 
81 - 100 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
all

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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