While
PAYCHECK ($30) is certainly an entertaining enough action thriller,
the film isn’t representative of director John Woo’s finest work.
Sure, Woo carries off the action sequences with aplomb, but weaknesses in
the screenplay prevents the film from rising above standard movie fare
much of the time. Personally, I found PAYCHECK to be quite
enjoyable while I was watching it, but like so much fast food, this movie
is little more than a whole lot of empty calories that one is unlikely to
remember after the meal. In the film’s favor, PAYCHECK takes its
most intriguing concepts from a Philip K. Dick story, and integrates
Alfred Hitchcock’s favorite theme of the "innocent man falsely
accused" to tell a slightly futuristic and action based tale.
PAYCHECK
stars Ben Affleck as Michael Jennings, a somewhat unscrupulous engineer
who earns a rather lucrative living by reverse engineering hi-tech
products for even more unscrupulous corporations. Of course, these
unscrupulous corporations want no evidence to implicate them in the theft
of another company’s intellectual property, so at the end of Michael’s
tenure, his employers erase his memory before giving him a hefty paycheck.
Although his assignments typically entail giving up two month segments of
his life and memories, Michael is offered the paycheck of a lifetime, if
he accepts the three year reverse engineering assignment being offered by
Rethrick (Aaron Eckhart), an old friend and head of the Allcom
corporation.
As
one might expect, Michael accepts the job and three years quickly pass.
However, after his memories are erased, Michael learns that he has signed
away his paycheck in lieu of a packet containing some inconsequential
personal items. Making matters even worse, Michael discovers that the
authorities are pursuing him, in addition to the assassins that are
gunning for him. Trying to piece together what happened to him in the last
three years, Michael finds out that he has been living with a beautiful
biologist named Rachel (Uma Thurman), not to mention that his small
collection of seemingly inconsequential personal items have managed to
save his life on more than one occasion. The cast of PAYCHECK also
features Paul Giamatti, Colm Feore and Joe Morton.
Paramount
Home Entertainment has made PAYCHECK available on DVD in a 2.35:1
widescreen presentation that has been enhanced for playback on 16:9
displays. Not surprisingly, PAYCHECK is a glossy big budget action
movie that looks absolutely terrific on DVD. The image appears very sharp
and highly defined. Colors are rich, fully saturated, and produce very
appealing flesh tones. All of the hues are completely stable, and are
rendered without noise or smearing. Blacks appear silky, whites are crisp
and the picture produces excellent shadow detail. Some of the more
stylized photography puts a slightly harsh edge on the contrast, but
otherwise it is just fine. The film elements appear nearly pristine and
there is little appreciable grain during the presentation. Digital
compression artifacts always remain out of sight.
As
expected from any new action movie, PAYCHECK features a rock ‘em
sock ‘em Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack. Sure, the early sections
of the film are all exposition and tons of dialogue, but once the action
kicks in, so does the soundtrack. PAYCHECK is aggressively mixed
with fully active front and rear soundstages that place the viewer right
in the middle of the action. Awash with effects, music and dialogue, the
soundfield is always cohesive and immerse. Fidelity is absolutely terrific
for both the rich sounding musical score and the fully convincing sound
effects. Dialogue is wholly understandable and never buried under the
music or effects. The bass channel is not only punchy; it really packs a
wallop. A French 5.1 channel and English Dolby Surround tracks are also
provided, as are English subtitles.
.
Full motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD's
interactive menus. Through the menus, one has access to standard scene
selection and set up features, as well as a nice complement of
supplemental materials. PAYCHECK includes two running audio
commentary tracks; the first is with director John Woo and the second
features screenwriter Dean Georgaris. Both tracks have merit, but fans
will get more from Woo’s talk, even if his English is a bit difficult to
understand at times.
Paycheck:
Designing The Future is a standard making of program that runs
eighteen minutes, which features interviews and a look behind-the-scenes. Tempting
Fate: The Stunts Of Paycheck runs sixteen minutes and provides one
with a look at how the film’s impressive stunt work was executed. Six
deleted/extended scenes are also included, as is an alternate ending. Most
of the footage would appear to have been removed to snap up the film’s
pacing, as for the alternate ending, let’s just say what we have in the
theatrical version of the film works far better. Bonus trailers for SKY
CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW, TIMELINE, THE PERFECT
SCORE and AGAINST THE ROPES close out the supplements.
While
PAYCHECK certainly entertains while spinning in your DVD player, it
isn’t the most memorable film from director John Woo. As for the DVD, it
looks and sounds fantastic, so if you are planning on giving PAYCHECK
a spin, this widescreen disc is the best way to do it.
While
PAYCHECK ($30) is certainly an entertaining enough action thriller,
the film isn’t representative of director John Woo’s finest work.
Sure, Woo carries off the action sequences with aplomb, but weaknesses in
the screenplay prevents the film from rising above standard movie fare
much of the time. Personally, I found PAYCHECK to be quite
enjoyable while I was watching it, but like so much fast food, this movie
is little more than a whole lot of empty calories that one is unlikely to
remember after the meal. In the film’s favor, PAYCHECK takes its
most intriguing concepts from a Philip K. Dick story, and integrates
Alfred Hitchcock’s favorite theme of the "innocent man falsely
accused" to tell a slightly futuristic and action based tale.
PAYCHECK
stars Ben Affleck as Michael Jennings, a somewhat unscrupulous engineer
who earns a rather lucrative living by reverse engineering hi-tech
products for even more unscrupulous corporations. Of course, these
unscrupulous corporations want no evidence to implicate them in the theft
of another company’s intellectual property, so at the end of Michael’s
tenure, his employers erase his memory before giving him a hefty paycheck.
Although his assignments typically entail giving up two month segments of
his life and memories, Michael is offered the paycheck of a lifetime, if
he accepts the three year reverse engineering assignment being offered by
Rethrick (Aaron Eckhart), an old friend and head of the Allcom
corporation.
As
one might expect, Michael accepts the job and three years quickly pass.
However, after his memories are erased, Michael learns that he has signed
away his paycheck in lieu of a packet containing some inconsequential
personal items. Making matters even worse, Michael discovers that the
authorities are pursuing him, in addition to the assassins that are
gunning for him. Trying to piece together what happened to him in the last
three years, Michael finds out that he has been living with a beautiful
biologist named Rachel (Uma Thurman), not to mention that his small
collection of seemingly inconsequential personal items have managed to
save his life on more than one occasion. The cast of PAYCHECK also
features Paul Giamatti, Colm Feore and Joe Morton.
Paramount
Home Entertainment has made PAYCHECK available on DVD in a 2.35:1
widescreen presentation that has been enhanced for playback on 16:9
displays. Not surprisingly, PAYCHECK is a glossy big budget action
movie that looks absolutely terrific on DVD. The image appears very sharp
and highly defined. Colors are rich, fully saturated, and produce very
appealing flesh tones. All of the hues are completely stable, and are
rendered without noise or smearing. Blacks appear silky, whites are crisp
and the picture produces excellent shadow detail. Some of the more
stylized photography puts a slightly harsh edge on the contrast, but
otherwise it is just fine. The film elements appear nearly pristine and
there is little appreciable grain during the presentation. Digital
compression artifacts always remain out of sight.
As
expected from any new action movie, PAYCHECK features a rock ‘em
sock ‘em Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack. Sure, the early sections
of the film are all exposition and tons of dialogue, but once the action
kicks in, so does the soundtrack. PAYCHECK is aggressively mixed
with fully active front and rear soundstages that place the viewer right
in the middle of the action. Awash with effects, music and dialogue, the
soundfield is always cohesive and immerse. Fidelity is absolutely terrific
for both the rich sounding musical score and the fully convincing sound
effects. Dialogue is wholly understandable and never buried under the
music or effects. The bass channel is not only punchy; it really packs a
wallop. A French 5.1 channel and English Dolby Surround tracks are also
provided, as are English subtitles.
.
Paycheck:
Designing The Future is a standard making of program that runs
eighteen minutes, which features interviews and a look behind-the-scenes. Tempting
Fate: The Stunts Of Paycheck runs sixteen minutes and provides one
with a look at how the film’s impressive stunt work was executed. Six
deleted/extended scenes are also included, as is an alternate ending. Most
of the footage would appear to have been removed to snap up the film’s
pacing, as for the alternate ending, let’s just say what we have in the
theatrical version of the film works far better. Bonus trailers for SKY
CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW, TIMELINE, THE PERFECT
SCORE and AGAINST THE ROPES close out the supplements.
While
PAYCHECK certainly entertains while spinning in your DVD player, it
isn’t the most memorable film from director John Woo. As for the DVD, it
looks and sounds fantastic, so if you are planning on giving PAYCHECK
a spin, this widescreen disc is the best way to do it.
