Payback (1999)

There were reasons writer-director Brian Helgeland's cut of Payback was dismissed by distributors Paramount and Warner Bros., then heavily re-shot and re-tooled by Mel Gibson's production company, Icon Entertainment. Those reasons are explained in detail by Gibson, Helgeland, and others in the special features of Payback: The Director's Cut (Special Collector's Edition). Among them: Helgeland's version was too dark. America wasn't ready in 1999 to see Gibson play an unapologetic, 1970s-style antihero who might not get exactly what he wants. Audiences didn't have the patience to wait for answers to their story questions. A dog dies. (A big no-no.) All of these comments make sound, practical sense. But here's the bottom line: Helgeland's cut, perhaps even a bit more disciplined and taut (according to Payback’s editor, Kevin Stitt) than it was in 1999, is a serious movie with an organic tone and logic that makes the film look the way it was meant to look: as a neo-noir film for adults. The theatrical release of Payback, by contrast, was and is silly and vulgar, self-sabotaging, pointlessly vicious, and perversely jaunty. It is very much like--deliberately like--the Lethal Weapon series. The Director’s Cut makes clear that’s not at all what Helgeland had in mind.

Kudos to Gibson and Icon for giving Helgeland a chance to restore his film and get it out on this DVD. But a look at both versions (this disc does not include the theatrical cut) back-to-back can certainly make one's head spin. Icon’s revisions in the original release show little faith in a contemporary audience’s ability to discern much about a story or mood or character from spare but telling details. That film relies on crass swatches of voiceover narration, cute inserts, added scenes, and hipster tunes on the soundtrack. All of that was designed to tell an audience how to feel rather than encourage a cinematic experience encountered with an open heart and mind. Worst of all is a specious third act nakedly built around an obligatory Gibson-gets-tortured sequence, leading the film to a lazy, comforting conclusion. The Director’s Cut eschews all of that. Gibson’s character, Porter (based on the central character in the novel "The Hunter," written by Donald E. Westlake under the pseudonym Richard Stark), is a man returning from the brink of death with nothing but his identity and the memory of something (an almost-nominal amount of money) taken from him. His iron determination, his capacity for brutality and inducing fear, and his survival instinct make him anything but warm and cuddly. It's his few ties to the past--especially an interrupted relationship with a call girl (Maria Bello)--that humanize him. One doesn't have to like Porter; one just accepts him and follows his journey in an honest, unmitigated fashion. That’s exactly what Helgeland does, and his cleaner, leaner, smarter cut is instantly rewarding for its uncompromising, undistracted toughness. Special features include a documentary about the film’s history, and a wonderful interview with Westlake. --Tom Keogh Amazon.com

This is not the Payback you remember..

I rented this Blu-Ray release because it had been quite some time since I saw Payback (I own it on VHS, but that's collecting dust somewhere in storage by now). Long story short, if you watch the extras (as I did just to figure out what the heck happened to the movie) then you'll learn that this movie has changed hands many times over and apparently this is what the Director had originally intended.

Personally, I like the original version much more than whatever this mish mashed remix edition amounts to as it equated to a much fuller story. I know it was more over the top but the movie itself was over the top to begin with so why not at least be consistent in that regard instead of trying to get serious at the end. I won't ruin it for anyone..suffice to say that if you are looking for the Payback you saw in theaters, this is not it. It is something much different and I didn't enjoy it at all. January 5, 2009

NOT THE STUPID DIRECTORS CUT

If you loved this movie as much as i did, do not get the ridiculously boring makes no sense cut of payback: straight up.

Lucy liu is so hot in this movie you could fry an egg on my pants.

Thank you December 16, 2008

Worth seeing (if you liked the original)

Having seen the original cut earlier, I can't really speak for those who haven't. Still, I imagine most people who can tolerate a gritty action flick will enjoy this version.

The director's cut removes Mel Gibson's voiceover, changes the soundtrack and film quality (from blue-filter to saturated & slightly grainy), and completely re-does the ending. It's a little less flashy, but a hell of a lot grittier and truer to the real style of the movie and the book that inspired it.

Porter's character isn't an evil one -- he's just devoid of the sense of 'morality' that most people have. Crime -- including murder -- is just a means to an end (money). Cold, calculating, callous, even brutal at times, Porter still draws viewers in. He's a great anti-hero. He's got his own, almost alien sense of ethics and this version really does his character more justice than the theatrical version.

This is NOT your silly PG-13 action-comedy flick, where guys dodge bullets, crack jokes, and slip on banana peels in the midst of drawn-out gunbattles. This is a hardcore movie. Porter beats on his ex-wife, murders strangers without expression, and offers very little comic relief.

In my opinion, this is Mel Gibson's 'coolest' role. The original 'Payback' and this director's cut release not for everyone, but that's probably a good thing. If you want a hard, no-nonsense action flick -- this is for you! November 7, 2008

Tough guy flick

Mel plays a very tough guy, like you don't see so much anymore. The lighting is all monochromatic. The side stars are very good, especially Lucy Liu as the sadist. Kris Kristofferson as the second biggest mob boss is a hoot, though he still seems more like a cowboy. The plot is some silliness about $70k owed to Mel, and how he gets it back, despite the odds. A lot of blood and violence, but it's sort of forgiveable. September 28, 2008

Suspicios packaging

The only thing I found odd about this physically was the fact that the blue ray was shrink wrapped instead of the plastic wrapper it usually comes in. Also when I opened up the case, there was no pictures on the other side of the cover. (I've gotten two BDs in shrink wrap and they both are similar in packaging as opposed to the other BDs)

Also instead of an insert that advertises more blue ray movies, It has a paper saying how the blue ray disc is manufactured to the highest quality available, etc.

As for the movie? If you like the theatrical then you'll like it. It's a great film and both versions should be watched. I honestly don't think one is better than the other but I know I liked this one a little more. Porter (Gibson) Is even more hard core in this version. September 17, 2008

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