Paycheck (2003)

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External Reviews

The story, adapted by Dean Georgaris, doesn't come within a light year of science-fiction plausibility, and after a while Woo gives up trying to sell it and reverts to the action choreography that made him a master of Hong Kong martial-arts movies. The second half of the film is one overlong action sequence linked to another. 

The future isn't what it used to be in fun sci-fi action thriller from John Woo.

--Kirk Honeycutt (Hollywod Reporter)

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Paycheck could have been an intriguing psychological thriller, but John Woo stopped payment on that good idea and resorted to what he knows best: the schlocky actioner. 

--Guylaine Cadorette (Hollywood.com)

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This smooth but bland thriller may be the best we could expect from such a collaboration, especially when Ben Affleck, an actor whose calm exterior reflects an inability to project an inner life, enters the mix.

--Elvis Mitchell (The New York Times)

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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. 

--James Berardinelli (ReelViews)

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'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?" 

--Roger Ebert (Chicago Sun-Times)

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Enjoyably stupid action thriller that even Ben Affleck can’t ruin, although fans expecting a return to form from John Woo are probably going to be disappointed. 

--Matthew Turner (ViewLondon)

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An apt title; I think it's the only reason these guys showed up. 

--B. Alan Orange III (MovieWeb)

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North By Northwest without genius. Minority Report without pretensions. Don't think. Enjoy. Forget. 

--Nev Pierce (BBC Films)

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Everyone earns their wages on "Paycheck," a solid, entertaining thriller with a bounty of silly but fun gunplay, hand-to-hand brawls and car chases. 

--David Germain (San Francisco Examiner)

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Paycheck is without a doubt one of the worst films I have seen this year, and I will even admit with total honesty that I liked Gigli more than this, and was actually at one point praying for the projectionist to show that title instead. C-

--Lee Tistaert (Lee's Movie Info)

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Enjoyable, if completely ridiculous, popcorn fodder. 6/10

--Gary Panton (Movie Gazette)

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We expect ridiculous stories from John Woo. We also expect action sequences so phenomenal that we don't care that the story is ridiculous. Trying to mix mystery and action is not something that is unimaginable but, to be plain about it, even if we were still chemically enhancing the experience the script totally bites, folks. 1/10

--Chuck Schwartz (The Cranky Critic)

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There's one pretty good car chase in "Paycheck" - but otherwise, there's little to suggest this pedestrian sci-fi thriller was directed by actionmeister John Woo. 

--Jonathan Foreman (New York Post)

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Directed by

John Woo Mission: Impossible II, Face/Off, Broken Arrow

Cast

Ben Affleck Good Will Hunting, Fahrenheit 9/11, Armageddon Aaron Eckhart Erin Brockovich, Any Given Sunday, Nurse Betty Uma Thurman Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill: Vol. 1, Kill Bill: Vol. 2 Paul Giamatti Saving Private Ryan, Sideways, Planet of the Apes Colm Feore Face/Off, Chicago, Pearl Harbor Joe Morton Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Speed, What Lies Beneath Kathryn Morris Minority Report, Mindhunters, The Contender [more]

Music By

John Powell Shrek, Face/Off, X-Men: The Last Stand James McKee Smith Agent Cody Banks John Ashton Thomas Agent Cody Banks

Thank goodness Woo can still direct an action sequence like a master. He mixes up angles, film speeds, and motion with enough creativity and surprise to fill three Bad Boys sequels, providing one satisfying motorcycle chase scene that’s even a little frightening.  --Norm Schrager (FilmCritic.com) Constructed as a large tribute to the works and textures of Alfred Hitchcock, “Paycheck” is an entertaining little mystery that enjoys its Wooisms and homages, and really only bites off more than it can chew in the final 30 minutes. It’s disposable, but Woo makes it enjoyable and rewarding. B+ --Brian Orndorf (FilmJerk.com) What we do get here is plenty of chases, shoot-outs and fights that are flashy but not particularly impressive, especially by Woo standards. There’s also some space/time bullcrap, an underwritten romantic interest played by Uma Thurman, a little comic relief courtesy of Paul Giamatti and more holes in logic than in a third-grader’s explanation of Einstein’s theories.  --Kevin N. Laforest (Montreal Film Journal) This smooth but bland thriller may be the best we could expect from such a collaboration, especially when Ben Affleck, an actor whose calm exterior reflects an inability to project an inner life, enters the mix. 5/10 --'JoBlo' (JoBlo.com) Woo keeps the guns flashing and the action churning. If he slowed the pace down, the audience might puncture the movie's fragile logic. But an action picture that poses some fascinating futuristic questions and gives Albert Einstein his props is a small guilty pleasure. --Ron Weiskind (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) What “Paycheck” boils down to in the end is an exercise of the usual action sequences on the level of self-parody; a bird flies by in slow-motion but it feels completely out of place. 4/10 --Scott Spicciati (Movie-Vault.com)

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