Paycheck (2003) Movie Information:

Paycheck (2003) Directed by: John Woo Paycheck (2003) Written by: Dean Georgaris, Scott Frank, Philip Dick Paycheck (2003) Cast: Ben Affleck, Aaron Eckhart, Uma Thurman, Michael Hall, Kathryn Morris, Colm Feore, Paul Giamatti, Ivana Milicevic, Joe Morton

Paycheck (2003) U.S. Distributor: Paramount Pictures Paycheck (2003) U.K. Distributor: UIP

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Paycheck (2003) Synopsis:

Brilliant computer engineer Michael Jennings routinely has his short term memory erased, so he can't divulge any information about the top secret projects he works on throughout the year. For his most recent gig, he expects to receive over four billion dollars. Upon completion of the job, however, Jennings is given a filled envelope--not with a check for his billions, but containing random objects. It is communicated to him that he had agreed to forfeit his payment for this specific project. With his memory erased, the meticulous engineer attempts to use the objects in the envelope to figure out what happened to him in his now obscured past. Soon, federal agents are after Jennings and he teams up with his old flame, Rachel, who helps him uncover the mystery of his past--and the question behind why the people whom he once worked for, now want him dead.

Paycheck (2003) Movie Review:

Michael Jennings (Affleck) is the world’s best reverse engineer. His job is to figure out how competitor’s products work and then improve on them for his client to then dominate the market with a superior version. There is one catch; he has to have his memory of everything he has done wiped to pick up his paycheck. Old friend James Rethrick (Eckhart) offers him a job that will pay enough that he will never have to worry about money again but it will mean losing three years of his life. Jennings decides to take the job but when he has finished he awakes to find he has forfeited his huge paycheck for twenty personal items and he is been pursued by men who want to kill him.

Ben Affleck returns to action to try and re-ignite his once glittering career but Paycheck is not the film to do it.

Based on a short story by science fiction guru Phillip K. Dick and directed by Hong Kong action maestro John Woo, the odds were good but Affleck seams to have caught both of them on a bad day. The once king of the action genre John Woo has switched to autopilot now he has moved to Hollywood. His style is becoming all too predictable and samey, with hardly an original shot or sequence gracing his films since he made the move. Where excitement used to greet a Woo action fest, now he just seems to blend into the crowd. He’ll be working with Steven Seagal and DMX next on one of those Rap-Fu movies, where has your passion gone John?

The story is nothing new either. The future predictions of Minority Report, the technological advances of Bladerunner and the all out action and memory loss of Total Recall combine to give us a story that just about has the ability to entertain.

Affleck’s performance is fine, as we know he can do action but his character isn’t developed to enough to let his acting ability, yes he does have some (watch Chasing Amy), shine through. This is Affleck on autopilot, doing enough to entertain and get the job done, nothing more. You have wonder why Uma Thurman is in the movie however. We all know that she is a great character actress and has just turned her talents to action but here she is just the damsel in distress and the beauty to be dragged along on the adventure. You expect from her talent.

The support is very underdeveloped. Aaron Eckhart’s power hungry technology tycoon nothing new and has far too little screen time for you to start to hate him or discover his true motivations. The always superb Paul Giamatti is criminally underused and the talented Joe Morton and Michael C. Hall are just typical FBI agents.

What Paycheck does have going for it is its action sequences, which bare many Woo trademarks like excessive slow motion and some excellent use of tracking cameras. While they maybe not the most original scenes in John Woo’s repertoire, the bike chase and finale are very exciting and make the film worth watching.

Paycheck is brainless entertainment with a slight hint of plot. It does little to return either John Woo or Ben Affleck to the big league but it is still enjoyable all the same.

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Paycheck (2003) review written by: Jamie Kelwick