Payback
| Year: | 1999 |
| Studio: | Paramount |
| Director: | Brian Helgeland |
| Writer: | Brian Helgeland |
| Cast: | Mel Gibson, Maria Bello, Gregg Henry, Lee Marvin, Kris Kristofferson, David Paymer, Lucy Liu |
Everyone concerned wanted to make a hard boiled, brutish noir thriller, and they succeed in spades in the story of a small time con Porter (Gibson), left for dead after his wife and best friend double cross him to get away with the loot from their last job.
After he recovers, Porters turns into a hard-bitten revenge machine, drawling a voiceover full of slang and cigarette smoke as he teams up with hooker Rosie (Bello) to make his way back to them.
But so much time's passed that his money's gone way up the line in a corrupt chain of organised criminals and Porter needs his balls and wits to climb much higher to get his share back even after he dishes out the disk best served cold.
Tough, violent, comic book-like and a neatly rounded story all make it a pleasure.
After he recovers, Porters turns into a hard-bitten revenge machine, drawling a voiceover full of slang and cigarette smoke as he teams up with hooker Rosie (Bello) to make his way back to them.
But so much time's passed that his money's gone way up the line in a corrupt chain of organised criminals and Porter needs his balls and wits to climb much higher to get his share back even after he dishes out the disk best served cold.
Tough, violent, comic book-like and a neatly rounded story all make it a pleasure.