Payback

a film directed by Brian Helgeland

review written by jack floobles

January 19, 2010

I can sum up this film in one word: tough.

Payback follows Porter (played by Mel Gibson) a guy seeking revenge against his former partner in crime Val Resnick (Gregg Henry) for shooting him in the back and stealing $70k. Gibson plays the role of Porter as a dark, gritty, tough loner. After being betrayed by Val, Porter has only one purpose in life, get his money back. He dedicates every waking minute to getting to Val and getting back the money he's owed. Standing in the way of getting back his money is an assortment of mean, hard-edged and crazy criminals played by the likes of William Devane, Lucy Liu, and Kris Kristofferson.

Payback is set in a bleak, violent, drug-addled, blue-toned Chicago. Despite its 1999 release, the movie feels older. It looks twenty years old. The film is noirish, like great noirs the main character is largely in it for himself, as are all the other characters. There's not a lot of love or sentimentality shared between the cast. The only hint that Porter might have been blessed with a softer side are scenes in which Porter tries to help his drug addict wife and scenes with his old girlfriend Rosie (Maria Bello).

The movie's funnier scenes usually involve Porter torturing someone trying to stand in his way of seeking revenge. Porter is no holds bar about enacting painful means of gathering the information he needs to track down his old partner Val and the money he's owed. Mel Gibson is a great actor for Porter. There are few actors that could play the role so convincingly. Too many actors lack the edge necessary to convince the audience they're as tough as Mel. I can only name a handful of other actors I would suggest for the role, but I don't think any of them would have performed as well.

One of the highlights of the film is actor Kris Kristofferson as Bronson. Kristofferson is one of the few actors who can convince us he's as tough, if not tougher, than Gibson. The two play off one another perfectly.

The tagline for this film was "Get ready to root for the bad guy." Porter is certainly not a guy I'd like on my bad side. It's not so bad loving the bad guy, when the bad guy is going after the other bad guys.

the following actors/directors were tagged in this review: