Paycheck - Review

A load of Woo! Ben Affleck plays a genius reverse engineer who disassembles new technology and makes it better. His company, in order to keep the inventions he creates secret, erases his memory for the time he works on the new technology.

The intriguing part of the whole film centres on the contents of an envelope. This does draw you along rather like a who-dunnit, in trying to second-guess the plot.

Acting, not brilliant. Affleck is wooden, Thurman tries her best but look what she’s working with. Dean Geogaris’s dialogue didn’t exactly support them very well either. However, on an up note, Ben’s Engineer buddy played by Paul Giamatti is a good comic relief. Worst line; whilst in the middle of a car chase that has most of the western world chasing our heroes Thurman drops the all precious envelope, Ben stops to allow her to retrieve said item and she says in a voice that would be used by a girlfriend being dropped off at the local shops to pick up a bit off shopping for tonight’s dinner says, “See ya”.

However, ubiquitous the phase is when discussing sci-fi, one stills has to say, it is important to have “willing suspension of disbelief”.

Action packed and fast moving with the usual Woo slo-mo style combined with a clever yarn adds up to an enjoyable film.

Yes, it’s far-fetched - a computer engineer who happens to be an expert in martial arts… and a stunt motorcyclist… and not too bad with a gun either - name a John Woo film that isn’t. If you loved Woo’s other latest offerings you’ll love this.

Paramount
Starring
Ben Affleck (Daredevil, Pearl Harbour)
and Uma Thurman (Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction).
Directed by
John Woo (Hard Boiled, Broken Arrow, Mission Impossible, Minority Report)
Based on a Novel by
Philip K. Dick
(Blade Runner, Minority Report, Total Recall).