Payback | |
---|---|
![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Brian Helgeland |
Screenplay by |
|
Based on | The Hunter by Richard Stark |
Produced by | Bruce Davey |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Ericson Core |
Edited by | Kevin Stitt |
Music by |
|
Production company | |
Distributed by |
|
Release date |
|
Running time |
|
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $90 million [2] |
Box office | $161.6 million [2] |
Payback is a 1999 American neo-noir action thriller film [3] [4] written and directed by Brian Helgeland in his directorial debut, and starring Mel Gibson, Gregg Henry, Maria Bello, Lucy Liu, Deborah Kara Unger, David Paymer and James Coburn. It is based on the novel The Hunter by Donald E. Westlake using the pseudonym Richard Stark, which had earlier been adapted into the 1967 film Point Blank .
During post-production, Helgeland was removed by Gibson and the producers, who rewrote and reshot substantial portions of the film, including a different third act and a new villain played by Kris Kristofferson. This version of the film was released by Paramount Pictures on February 5, 1999, and received mixed reviews from critics. [5]
In 2006, Helgeland issued a director's cut, entitled Payback: Straight Up, that differs substantially from the version released by the studio. This new version received a more positive reception, and is generally considered superior to the theatrical cut. [6]
Note: This plot synopsis refers to the film's original theatrical cut. Plot differences between the theatrical and director's cut are noted later in the article.
Porter, a career thief and former U.S. Marine, has gunshot wounds treated by an unlicensed doctor, having been shot and betrayed for $70,000, and plans his revenge. After months of recuperating, Porter uses a series of petty thefts and short cons to acquire cash, a new suit, and a revolver. He and his partner-in-crime Val Resnick had stolen $130,000 from a local Chinese Triad, but Val manipulated Porter's wife Lynn into believing Porter was having an affair with Rosie, a call girl he used to protect. Lynn shot Porter, leaving him for dead as Val took the cash to pay off a debt to "the Outfit," a powerful organized crime syndicate.
Porter confronts Lynn, who has been consumed by guilt and become addicted to heroin. He tries to confiscate her drugs, but she finds some in a secondary stash. Porter awakes and finds her dead from an overdose the next morning. Believing that Val was funding her habit, Porter interrogates Lynn's drug connection, who points him to Val's middle-man, Stegman. Porter finds Stegman in the company of corrupt police detectives Hicks and Leary, and Val learns from Stegman that Porter is alive. Enlisting the help of Rosie, who is now affiliated with the Outfit, Porter ambushes Val during a session with Pearl, a Triad-connected dominatrix, and demands his money.
Val goes to Carter, a higher-up with the Outfit, who warns him to eliminate Porter on his own. However, after Val leaves he directs one of his men to take care of Porter himself. Desperate, Val directs Pearl to tell the Triads that Porter was responsible for the $130,000 heist. Before the Triads can kill Porter, Hicks and Leary arrive, having found Lynn's body and questioned her dealer, and extort Porter for a cut of his money once he recovers it. Following Porter to Rosie's apartment, Val shoots her dog and threatens to rape her, but Porter shoots and wounds him. Giving up the names of Outfit bosses Fairfax and Carter, Val is killed by Porter. Taking Rosie to his secret apartment, Porter finds a bomb rigged to the telephone by Carter's men, who call him from a car outside. Cutting their fuel line, Porter incinerates them with a lit cigarette.
Outside Carter's office, Porter is waylaid by Hicks, Leary, and Stegman, who also demands a cut. Porter gives them his revolver to hold while he is inside, securing Leary's fingerprints on the gun that killed Val. Meeting with Carter, Porter disarms his guards and threatens to kill him. Deferring to the organization's corporate structure, Carter calls Bronson, the head of the Outfit. Porter repeatedly corrects them that all he wants is his half-share of the money Val stole, but Bronson refuses to pay, and Porter kills Carter. Framing Hicks and Leary for Val's death, Porter leaves Hicks' badge and the gun with Leary's fingerprints by the body.
With Rosie's assistance, Porter kidnaps Bronson's son Johnny, which he reveals to Bronson on another call while he threatens Fairfax. Hicks and Leary are arrested by Internal Affairs due to the false evidence Porter planted. Stegman captures Porter, but a shootout ensues with Pearl and the Triads, leaving Stegman, his driver, and the Triads dead; holding Porter at gunpoint, Pearl is knocked unconscious when the Outfit arrives to abduct Porter. Badly beaten, Porter meets face-to-face with Bronson, who has brought a $130,000 ransom but swears Porter will never touch it. Porter reasons that all he wanted was the $70,000 Resnick took, but Bronson orders his men to hammer Porter's toes until he reveals Johnny's location; they smash two toes before he gives them an address.
Bronson, Fairfax, and their men drive to the address, Porter's apartment, with Porter locked in the trunk. As they go inside, Porter breaks free and uses the car phone to dial his apartment phone; Bronson answers, triggering the bomb left by Carter's men, and the explosion kills Bronson, Fairfax, and their men. Leaving Johnny cuffed to her radiator, Rosie joins Porter in starting a new life together, beginning by "going for breakfast...in Canada."
The film was shot from September to November 1997, in Chicago and Los Angeles, though neither city is referred to in the film.
Mel Gibson stated in a short interview released as a DVD extra that it "would've been ideal to shoot in black and white." He noted that "people want a color image" and that the actual film used a bleach bypass process to tint the film. In addition to this, the production design used muted shades of red, brown, and grey for costumes, sets, and cars for further effect. [7]
Although credited as director, Brian Helgeland's cut of the film was not the theatrical version released to audiences. Helgeland clashed with Mel Gibson over Gibson's ideas for the film. After the end of principal photography, Gibson admitted that he was instrumental in having Helgeland removed as director before the film was released. [8]
A script rewrite by Terry Hayes was ordered. There was initially some uncertainty on who directed the reshoots, with some sources claiming it was the production designer John Myhre. [9] However, Paul Abascal has stated on his website that he in fact directed the new scenes. [10] The new director reshot 30% of the film. [11] The intent was to make the Porter character accessible.The film's tagline became: "Get Ready to Root for the Bad Guy."
A potentially controversial scene between Porter and Lynn which arguably involves spousal abuse was excised and more plot elements were added to the third act. After 10 days of reshoots, a new opening scene and voiceover track also were added, and Kris Kristofferson walked on as a new villain. [12]
Payback was well received at the box office. The film made $21,221,526 in its opening weekend in North America. It eventually grossed $81,526,121 in North America and $80,100,000 in other territories, totaling $161,626,121 worldwide. [2]
On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, 56% of 77 critics gave Payback a positive review, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Sadistic violence and rote humor saddle a predictable action premise." [5] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 46 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [13] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale. [14]
Roger Ebert gave the film a three out of four stars, writing in his review: "There is much cleverness and ingenuity in Payback, but Mel Gibson is the key. The movie wouldn't work with an actor who was heavy on his feet, or was too sincere about the material." [15]
Helgeland's version, Straight Up: The Director's Cut, was released on DVD, Blu-ray, and HD DVD on April 10, 2007, after an October 2006 run at the Austin Film Festival. The Director's Cut version features a female Bronson, that is never seen only heard over the phone voiced by Sally Kellerman, does not include the voice-over by Porter and several Bronson-related scenes, and has a different film score composed by Scott Stambler. The film also features alternative color grading, and does not utilize the bleach bypass process present in the theatrical cut. [7]
During their scuffle (which is longer than in the theatrical version and was the main source of controversy), Porter earlier tells Lynn that his picture with Rosie was taken before they met, thereby rendering her jealousy unjustified. This version has an entirely different, ambiguous ending where Porter is seriously wounded in a train station shootout and driven off by Rosie.
A June 4, 2012, look at "movies improved by directors' cuts" by The A.V. Club described Payback: Straight Up as "a marked improvement on the unrulier original." [6]
In public use, a director's cut is the director's preferred version of a film. It is generally considered a marketing term to represent the version of a film the director prefers, and is usually used as contrast to a theatrical release where the director did not have final cut privilege and did not agree with what was released.
Denis Colin Leary is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Born in Massachusetts, Leary first came to prominence as a stand-up comedian, especially through appearances on MTV and through the stand-up specials No Cure for Cancer (1993) and Lock 'n Load (1997). Leary began taking roles in film and television starting in the 1990s, including substantial roles in the films Judgment Night (1993), Gunmen (1994), Operation Dumbo Drop (1995) and Wag the Dog (1997).
Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson is an American actor and film director. He is known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apocalyptic action series Mad Max and as Martin Riggs in the buddy cop action-comedy film series Lethal Weapon.
The Passion of the Christ is a 2004 American epic biblical drama film co-written, co-produced, and directed by Mel Gibson. It stars Jim Caviezel as Jesus of Nazareth, Maia Morgenstern as Mary, mother of Jesus, and Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene. It depicts the Passion of Jesus largely according to the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It also draws on pious accounts such as the Friday of Sorrows, along with other devotional writings, such as the reputed visions attributed to Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich.
Alien 3 (stylized as ALIEN3) is a 1992 American science fiction horror film directed by David Fincher and written by David Giler, Walter Hill, and Larry Ferguson, from a story by Vincent Ward. It stars Sigourney Weaver, reprising her role as Ellen Ripley. It is the third installment of the Alien franchise and led to a sequel, Alien Resurrection (1997).
Lethal Weapon is a 1987 American buddy cop action film directed and co-produced by Richard Donner, written by Shane Black, and co-produced by Joel Silver. It stars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover alongside Gary Busey, Tom Atkins, Darlene Love, and Mitchell Ryan.
Brian Thomas Helgeland is an American screenwriter, film producer, and director. He is best known for writing the screenplays for the films L.A. Confidential and Mystic River. He also wrote and directed the films 42, a biopic of Jackie Robinson, and Legend, about the rise and fall of the infamous London gangsters the Kray twins. His work on L.A. Confidential earned him the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Tombstone is a 1993 American Western film directed by George P. Cosmatos, written by Kevin Jarre, and starring Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer, with Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, Michael Biehn, and Dana Delany in supporting roles, as well as narration by Robert Mitchum.
Lethal Weapon 4 is a 1998 American buddy cop action film directed and produced by Richard Donner, and starring Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, Chris Rock, and Jet Li. It is the fourth installment in the Lethal Weapon film series. It is the last film in the series directed by Donner before his death, and the latest to be released theatrically.
Parker is a fictional character created by American novelist Donald E. Westlake. A professional robber specializing in large-scale, high-profit crimes, Parker is the main protagonist of 24 of the 28 novels Westlake wrote under the pseudonym Richard Stark.
Point Blank is a 1967 American crime film directed by John Boorman, starring Lee Marvin, co-starring Angie Dickinson, Keenan Wynn and Carroll O'Connor, and adapted from the 1963 crime noir pulp novel The Hunter by Donald E. Westlake, writing as Richard Stark. Boorman directed the film at Marvin's request and Marvin played a central role in the film's development. The film grossed over $9 million in theatrical rentals in 1967 and has since gone on to become a cult classic, eliciting praise from such critics as film historian David Thomson.
"Beyond Blunderdome" is the eleventh season premiere of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox Network in the United States on September 26, 1999 and was watched in around 8.1 million homes during the broadcast. In the episode, the Simpsons are given free tickets to a preview screening of Mel Gibson's new film, a remake of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Gibson laments his current non-violent role and wants someone to give him criticism. When Homer sees Gibson talking with Marge, he gives him a brutal review, leading Gibson to believe that Homer is the only man brave enough to give suggestions. As a result, he hires him to create a better ending. However, when the ending proves to be too controversial, Gibson and Homer end up on the run from studio executives with the film.
Another Day in Paradise is a 1998 American crime drama film directed by Larry Clark, and starring James Woods, Melanie Griffith, Vincent Kartheiser and Natasha Gregson Wagner. Set in the 1970s, its plot follows a teenage drug addict who, along with his girlfriend, are taken in by a middle-aged couple. The pair persuade the teenagers to help them commit a series of increasingly complicated and dangerous drug robberies. Based on the 1997 novel of the same name by Eddie Little, Another Day in Paradise is Clark's second feature film; it won the Grand Prix award at the 1999 Festival du Film Policier de Cognac.
Raising Cain is a 1992 American psychological horror thriller film written and directed by Brian De Palma, and starring John Lithgow, Lolita Davidovich and Steven Bauer.
The Hunter (1962) is a crime thriller novel by American writer Donald E. Westlake under the pseudonym Richard Stark. It is the first of the novels featuring career criminal Parker.
Subway Stories: Tales from the Underground is a film made in 1997 and produced by Home Box Office for television. It began as a contest among New Yorkers who submitted stories about their experiences within the New York City Subway. HBO picked ten of the stories and cast mostly well-known or accomplished actors, and ten well-respected directors.
Man with a Camera is an American television crime drama starring Charles Bronson as a war veteran turned photographer and investigator. It was broadcast on ABC from October 10, 1958, to February 29, 1960.
Mel Gibson is an American actor, director, and producer, who made his acting debut on the Australian television drama series The Sullivans (1976–1983). While a student at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, he was given an uncredited role in I Never Promised You a Rose Garden and subsequently appeared as a leading actor in the micro budget surf drama Summer City. Gibson rose to prominence during the Australian New Wave cinema movement in the early 1980s, having appeared in his breakthrough role in George Miller's dystopian action film Mad Max (1979), portraying the eponymous hero. He reprised the role in its sequels, Mad Max 2 (1981) and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985). He appeared in Peter Weir's war drama Gallipoli (1981) and the romantic drama The Year of Living Dangerously (1982). Five years later he played Martin Riggs in the buddy cop action comedy Lethal Weapon alongside Danny Glover—a role he later reprised in its sequels Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), and Lethal Weapon 4 (1998).
Casting By is a 2012 American documentary film directed by Tom Donahue. It combines over 230 interviews, extensive archival footage, animated stills and documents to tell the untold tale of the Hollywood casting director, Marion Dougherty. Dougherty died before the film's release; it is dedicated to her memory.
The Professor and the Madman is a 2019 biographical drama film directed by Farhad Safinia, from a screenplay by Safinia and Todd Komarnicki based on the 1998 book The Surgeon of Crowthorne by Simon Winchester. It stars Mel Gibson, Sean Penn, Natalie Dormer, Eddie Marsan, Jennifer Ehle, Jeremy Irvine, David O'Hara, Ioan Gruffudd, Stephen Dillane, and Steve Coogan.