Paycheck

Review by Clint Morris

Mike Jennings (Affleck) is a talented computer hacker for hire who has a regular gig as a fix-it man for large companies.

What happens is, he dissects massive programs and passes the goods onto rival companies, but after the job's done, he has to have his memory erased so he doesn't recall who he worked for or what he did.

When an old college friend [Aaron Eckhart] offers him a nice $90 million plus to do a job that'll take three months, Jennings is hesitant, but dollar signs do the talking.

Within a second, Jennings awakens. It's been three years. But when he goes to collect his cash, he's told that he forfeited his money some weeks before - and all he has is his personal belongs, an envelope containing things such as hairspray, a train ticket and a key.

Fun. Thrilling. Imaginative. Slicker than hell.

There just aren't enough words to describe just how fun a time the film-going public's going to have with Paycheck, the latest from über action-director John Woo.

From the get-go, it's immediately obvious that this is not only a John Woo film - with his trademark slow-mo action sequences, wide angles and ahem, doves - but also one of renowned science-fiction author Philip K. Dick's story.

All the elements of a Dick story [Bladerunner, Minority Report] are in place - the future, the fugitive, the uneasily decipherable plot and knotty hero. Like paper and pen, the teaming of both writer and director work a treat.

For the most part though, action easily outshines the plot of the film. And with Woo [The Killer, Face/Off] on hand, such sequences are handled ever so skilfully, and frankly, bloody fantastically.

Instead of relying on the ever-so-popular CPU to drum up the action moments, Woo relies on first-class conventional stunts, and from the car chases, to the shoot em'up's and the window dives - they look sweeter than caramel-filled chocolate. In fact, you might not even notice the plot holes with all that's going on.

Affleck (in a role originally intended for his pal, Matt Damon) seems to finally have found his stride again, after starring in a couple of off-putting duds, predominantly Gigli. Granted, he doesn't need to do much acting here, but he's got the right build and is obviously immersed in his role as the multifaceted hero of the pic.

Co-star Uma Thurman doesn't get to do as much though, seemingly playing the token love interest, but for whatever its worth, she's nice dressing.

Paycheck might just be the best action flick of the year and a return to form for John Woo. Though how strange it is to see both 'Best' and 'Affleck' in the same sentence?

4 out of 5

Paycheck
Australian release: Thursday March 18th
Cast: Ben Affleck, Aaron Eckhart, Uma Thurman, Paul Giamatti, Colm Feore, Joe Morton, Michael C. Hall.
Director: John Woo.
Website: Click here.

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