| | | Remember the future.
Features: DVD, Pan and Scan (TV Format), Aspect Ratio 1.33:1, Dolby Digital (5.1), Dolby Surround Sound
From director John Woo (M:I-2 and Face/Off) comes this futuristic thriller that combines spectacular action sequences with a spellbinding mystery that will keep you guessing from beginning to breathtaking end.Michael Jennings (Ben Affleck) is a brilliant computer engineer hired for top-secret projects. After each job, Jennings' short-term memory is erased so he cannot recount any project information. Emerging from his latest assignment, a three-year contract with an eight-figure paycheck given to him by his longtime friend (Aaron Eckhart), Jennings is jolted when he is told that during the end of his assignment, he agreed to forfeit all payment. Jennings has no recourse -- until he receives a mysterious envelope containing clues to his forgotten past. With the help of a beautiful scientist (Uma Thurman) he once loved but now cannot remember, Jennings races to solve the puzzle of his past...while a terrifying discovery waits in his future.
"A nifty science-fiction twist on the old amnesia plot..." Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter
"[Woo] keeps the action sufficiently engaging..." Christine James, Box Office Magazine
"The characters are charismatic, the action sequences strong..." Forrest Hartman, Reno Gazette-Journal
"A light-weight and entertaining piece of sci-fi..." Joshua Tyler, Cinema Blend
"A suspenseful thrill ride that will have you gripping your seat." Marina Jurica, CBS-TV
Editor's Note
Adapted from a mind-bending sci-fi thriller by Philip K. Dick, the slick and riveting PAYCHECK is directed by John Woo (THE KILLER, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE II)--the king of artful gunfighting flicks--who shows off his agility here with flat-out, white-knuckle cinematic entertainment. Michael Jennings (Ben Affleck) is a high-paid engineer who works on hush-hush computer inventions and technology for shady companies. Later, his memory is wiped clean, so he has no recollection of his work. His so-called friend Rethrick (Aaron Eckhardt, the master of smarmy mean-spiritedness, as in IN THE COMPANY OF MEN) offers him enough money to retire by working on a project at Rethrick's company, Allcom. When Jennings emerges three years later, sans memory, he tries to collect his paycheck. At the bank, he's handed a manila envelope filled with cryptic items he doesn't recognize, and told he voluntarily forfeited his entire paycheck. He also has a stunning girlfriend named Dr. Rachel Porter (Uma Thurman) who is likewise ensnared in the conspiracy. Jennings must somehow piece together the clues he left for himself, and find out why everyone is out to kill him. As usual, Dick's story is the basis for a killer script that travels from point A to Z with gripping immediacy. The clues left for Jennings are amusing writerly devices, intricately pieced together. Woo clearly enjoyed choreographing the wild gunfighting and chase sequences (slo-mo bullets aplenty), sending Affleck and Thurman on the run with a BMW motorcycle.
| Features | Paycheck: Designing The Future Featurette | | Audio: English, French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound; English Dolby Stereo | | Director Commentary | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Screenwriter Commentary | | Subtitles: English | | Tempting Fate: The Stunts Of Paycheck Featurette | | Full Screen Presentation | | Featurette: Paycheck: Designing The Future | | Featurette:Tempting Fate: The Stunts Of Paycheck | | Audio: English, French Dolby Digital 5.1; English Dolby Surround Sound | | Commentary By Director John Woo | | Commentary By Screenwriter Dean Georgaris | | 7 Extended/Deleted Scenes |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Paramount |
| Release Date: 1/24/2006 |
| Running Time: 118 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2003 | | Catalog ID: 051284 | | UPC: 00097360512847 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Standard 1.33:1 [4:3] |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | James Berardinelli's ReelViews 3 of 10
The fact that the story uses amnesia as a plot device will immediately bring to mind last year's
San Francisco Chronicle 6 of 10
... Yet despite the energy of Woo's directorial attack, the story itself loses propulsion in the sec - Mick LaSalle
Chicago Sun-Times 6 of 10
"Paycheck" begins with a thought-provoking idea from Philip K. Dick, exploits it for its action and plot potential, but never really develops it. By the end, the film seems to have lost enthusiasm for itself and should be scored with "Is That All There Is?" It's like an assembly of off-the-shelf parts from techno-thrillers: the vast laboratory, the cold-blooded billionaire industrialist, the hero in a situation that he doesn't understand, the professional security men who line up to get bumped off by the amateur computer nerd. Because the director is John Woo, we expect a chase and a martial-arts sequence, and we get them, but they're strangely detached; they feel like exercises, not exuberations...Ben Affleck and Uma Thurman establish a strong presence as the leads, having some fun (and shedding a few tears) over the fact that they've been deeply in love, but he can't remember it. That's in the nature of Affleck's job. He plays Michael Jennings, a brilliant engineer who hires himself out to reverse-engineer new computer breakthroughs. He starts with impenetrable codes or uncrackable chips, takes them apart, sees what makes them work and reassembles them as elegant little ripoffs that sidestep copyright infringement...There was a basic level at which I enjoyed the movie, just for the scope of the production and the way that Affleck doggedly puzzled his way through that manila envelope. But at the end, we get the sense that Woo is operating with a clipboard and a checklist, making sure everyone is killed in the right order. There's simply not enough urgency involved...There are countless fascinating possibilities involved in Philip K. Dick's story, and I'm kind of sad that the ones ranking highest in the minds of the filmmakers was the opportunity to have chase scenes and blow stuff up real good. - Roger Ebert
ReelViews 5 of 10
Aside from a couple of signature flourishes, there's nothing to mark Paycheck as the product of acclaimed action director John Woo. In fact, there's little about this movie that makes it worth anyone's time and money. With a script that waffles between being hilariously absurd and insultingly stupid, and action scenes that won't cause anyone's pulse to skip a beat, Paycheck is less appealing than a lump of coal in a Christmas stocking...Movies based on Philip K. Dick short stories have an uneven history, and even the best of them tend to depart significantly from their written inspirations (Minority Report, Blade Runner). Paycheck is easily the worst motion picture to bear Dick's name in any capacity. The screenplay has apparently been written with lobotomized teenagers in mind. Rarely does a character react to any situation intelligently. The plot is a mess of contrivances that will strain the credulity of even the most blase of viewers. Suspension of disbelief is virtually impossible. Villains and heroes alike can be counted on to do the most idiotic thing in nearly every situation. And there aren't even any good action scenes to redeem this mess...The fact that the story uses amnesia as a plot device will immediately bring to mind last year's The Bourne Identity (Affleck and Matt Damon's friendship serves to enforce the connection), but there's really no comparison. The Bourne Identity may have contained its share of plot holes, but they were largely invisible until the movie was examined after the end credits rolled. In Paycheck, they are instantly evident, creating the kind of frustration that comes from watching a movie that views its audience as a bunch of witless zombies. This is a bad film, complete with lackluster acting, brainless writing, and uninspired direction. A lump of coal is preferable. - James Berardinelli
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