Paycheck (2003) User Reviews

Better than expected action / sci fi flick

[mstomaso · 6/10 · 3 August 2005]

Philip K Dick wrote many stories which seemed to have great film potential. I never thought of this as one of them.

I have seen Ben Affleck in a number of films, and felt that he was good in a few, OK in most, and positively annoying in some.

I saw the horrible, misleading trailers.

The soundtrack was simply bad.

So, needless to say, I went into Paycheck with very low expectations.... and I was pleasantly surprised.

Affleck plays a talented reverse-engineer, who sees the possibilities in new technology, and is able to carry it through to fruition. He takes on top-secret jobs and has his memory erased upon the completion of each. He decides to take on a project big and profitable enough to allow him to retire comfortably for the rest of his life. He completes the project, goes through the memory erasure, and then starts to discover what he has done, and, pursued by corporate hit men and the police, tries to recover his memory. Uma Thurmond, a biologist he had fallen in love with, is one of the memories he wants to recover, and also a target.

Paycheck is more of an action film than a sci fi flick. The plot serves the action, as do the somewhat one-dimensional characters. And there is so little chemistry between Affleck and Thurmond that the romantic subplot is almost just a distraction. Despite these flaws, I spent an evening being thoroughly entertained by this rehashing of the usual technology-run-amok / knowledge-is-power story. This film is very Hollywood, and uses a lot of slick and clichéd camera-work, but nevertheless tells a good story and does it well enough.

Sci-Fi Action That Is Intelligent

[BaronBl00d · 7/10 · 15 April 2006]

Don't let the naysayers keep you from giving Paycheck a look. I found it to be intelligent, inventive, action-packed fun. Ben Affleck does a very credible job playing a man that finds the secrets of new technology out for big paychecks and then has his memory erased. He is offered a huge amount to do just that but lose three years of his life in terms of what he remembers. Well, the film picks up quickly after the three years and Ben Affleck has been played foul by his employer or someone. The science fiction aspect is very involved but presented in a pretty comprehensible style. The film chronicles Affleck's collection of simple, every day items that have been sent to him by - himself - and each has a purpose he must soon discover. Director John Woo mixes lots of gritty, sometimes over-blown action sequences here and there(especially at the end), but they only enhanced the suspenseful nature of the film. The film works primarily because of its thoughtful, engaging script and the adequate acting of Affleck, Aaron Echhart, Colm Feore, sultry Uma Thurman, and always humorous Paul Giamatti. The profound(albeit somewhat lost in the action)lesson in the film's end resonated strongly for me and had me thinking about my future and OUR future here on planet Earth. If a film can do that, it can't be all that bad in my book. The film is based on the science fiction writing of Philip Dick, a great mind and perhaps a soothsayer to what lies ahead for all of us. A great theme for this film might be little things mean a lot OR thanks for the memories!

Minority Report meets The Bourne Identity meets... hack producers and plain bad writing

[Flagrant-Baronessa · 5/10 · 20 September 2006]

First, let me debunk the myth that this is "an awful movie" as I keep reading – because it has some interesting (albeit unoriginal) notions and it often executes them well. More importantly, it will generally keep you interested by navigating futuristic concepts in a fast-spinning pace that will unable you to yawn or look at your watch. Secondly, in spite of its technologically-ridden science fiction premise, Paycheck does not fall prey to the fatal "style over substance" crime because it at least tries, which is more than I can say for its peers (Equilibrium, The Island, etc).

So the effort is at least there and 1/3 into the film, you feel that things are really well-sewn together when the plot starts unfolding. Then it completely falls apart. This is understandable, because it's pretty off-the-wall: Michael Jennings is an expert engineer hired by high-profile corporations for a reverse engineering technique which usually takes about 3-4 weeks depending on the task – then his memory is wiped clean and he receives a big paycheck. Well, this process tears on him and when the opportunity for a big-budget, 3-year-long job presents itself as "the last job", Michael takes it. He also meets a girl during this time called Rachel (an unusually rough-looking Uma Thurman). With a clean slate post the completion of the job, Michael discovers that he has declined the paycheck and left an envelope for himself filled with clues as to what happened in the past – and what lies ahead in the future.

It may sound intriguing but because this was originally written as a SHORT story by Philip K. Dick, all the characters are completely unexplored, flat and downright uninteresting. It does not help that Ben Affleck botches through the story with his usual puzzled look that only ever seems to fit in Kevin Smith productions. Thurman also inhabits a truly badly-written role here, and the banter between her and Affleck is self-referential in the most cringeworthy way (they quote their sappy first meeting, etc). They also mostly resort to meaningful glances to convey their love. That's the central performances for you, and sadly the ONE character that could have saved the others from the mud is Michael's buddy Paul Giamatti. Unfortunately he fades quickly and is later only ever used as a comedic sidekick to make up for the lack of clever things to say.

If you do not mind half-hearted acting from the leads, and perhaps you are only interesting in seeing this because it's a John Woo movie, then you will also be disappointed because there is little of Woo's dynamic, adrenaline-pumping, Mexican stand-off laden, martial arts-spinning action in this story. I remember one motorcycle chase that took me back to M-I-2 and strangely also The Bourne Identity (in which Matt Damon is being chased while on the search for his identity post-amnesia) but it was lacking in oomph; there is also a brief Woo-like face-off on the subway tracks between Affleck and the key henchman but this is the most daring John Woo will allow himself to get – the rest of the time he blindly follows the standard formula for modern sci-fi/action fare. In other words, Affleck looks at an item in the envelope, has a startling revelation, sets out knowing exactly what to do and when to do it, being effortlessly aided by conveniently appearing objects and doors – then some henchman interrupts him.

I think this is one of those films that continuity spies could OD on, because the plot really is thinner than an Olsen twin. For example, how could Michael be such an expert genius engineer if he keeps on erasing any technical information post completion of a work task? He'd have to start from scratch every time. You just have to look past the stupid goofs, the flat characters, the mediocre acting and the safe action if you want to enjoy Paycheck (2003) – but then... there is not much left.

5 out of 10

Intriguing premise is made mildly enjoyable, but ultimately unsatisfying.

[Li-1 · 9 January 2005]

Rating: ** out of ****

I wonder what it says about the state of cinematic science fiction that most of author Philip K. Dick's adaptations generally mix high-octane action with its interesting sci-fi concepts. Paycheck is no exception, hardly a surprise when you note it's from once beloved Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo, who's quickly reaching Michael Bay/Roland Emmerich levels of notoriety in the U.S. with each regressive film.

To be fair, Paycheck isn't unenjoyable, and it even gets off to a pretty good start. Set sometime in the near future, there's not much of a noticeable difference with our present time except for a few elaborate-looking gadgets and computers. Ben Affleck stars as Michael Jennings, a reverse engineer who's hired by major corporations to build products superior to all rival companies. Afterwards, his memory is erased by a partner of his (Paul Giamatti) and he's given a large paycheck for his time and troubles (usually the whole process takes about three months).

His latest offer comes from an old friend of his (Aaron Eckhart), who promises an eight-figure deal at the end of the transaction. The catch is that the whole procedure will take three years. Despite some reluctance, he agrees to the deal and when the three years pass by, Jennings, thinking he's a rich man, is shocked to discover he gave up over ninety million dollars in favor of an envelope containing twenty everyday household items. Now he finds himself on the run from both the FBI and the company that hired him, and must set out to discover what he built during those three years he's missing.

Uma Thurman also stars in the movie as Jennings' girlfriend during that three-year span, but she factors so lazily into the picture, she's obviously only in the film so that a) Jennings can have a love interest and b) he can also have someone to talk to about every little discovery he makes. Then again, function "b" could have worked just as well with Giamatti, but everyone knows a "sexy" chick is a better sell (I have to put quote marks around sexy because Thurman looks positively haggard for almost every minute of screen time she's present; I can't help but feel the much hotter Kathryn Morris would have done better in the role).

There are two concepts in this movie that specifically intrigue me (some moderate spoilers here), the first one is choosing deliberately to erase your own memory, but the notion is forgotten after the first half-hour. I was quite curious to know exactly what the process is like to the subject. Take, for instance, the fact that he lost his memory over the three-year span. Does the last thing he remembers feel like a three-year old memory or an event that happened just a second ago? Instead, all we get is a half-hearted (actually, not even that much) attempt at a sorrowful romance because he can't remember his girlfriend and she's not very happy about that.

The other major sci-fi concept, the ability to see into the future, isn't explored with much more interest and it leads to a number of baffling questions. You see (quite a few spoilers here), it's revealed Jennings sent himself those twenty items because they can come in handy at a specific moment that'll help him survive or escape from a dangerous situation.

But the thing is, Jennings couldn't have known each item would come in handy unless he used the device he built at least twenty times, because there's no way he'd know a motorcycle would come in handy if he never had, say, the bus ticket to escape from the FBI, meaning he used the device to see what he needed to escape the FBI, but still foresaw that he'd be killed in even more future events. That would mean this guy was originally destined to die or get caught in well over ten different scenarios (i.e. he had the bus ticket to escape, but if he didn't have the motorbike keys, he wouldn't have gotten further, and so on and so forth), but this is never really addressed.

By John Woo standards, there's surprisingly only a modest amount of action in the film, but at least the material is competently handled, even if it's not entirely believable. What might work in movies that establish their characters as supercops with impeccable aims doesn't come off quite as well in action scenes that feature scientists beating up a large number of armed goons. But if you suspend disbelief, the action scenes are pretty fun (especially the motorcycle chase and the laboratory battle), and coupled with the relatively fast pace, keep the movie perfectly watchable despite the poor script and mediocre acting (I never got into specifics, but this is Ben Affleck and Uma Thurman we're talking about).

When all is said and done, Paycheck is a wasted opportunity and is never as memorable a mixture of science fiction, mystery, and action as Minority Report, but it's likely to do the trick for undemanding fans of any of these genres. If you expect more, well, you'd do best to remember this is John Woo we're talking about, not Steven Spielberg.

Thrilling and moving science fiction film by the great filmmaker John Woo

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 19 October 2004]

The flick takes place in 2007 , an engineer , Michael Jennings (Ben Affleck's biggest paycheck) , is hired by technology enterprises , when his aim is made , his brain memory is erased of the mind . Then , he's framed of stealing important stuff and being pursued . He is helped by her lover (Uma Thurman) and a friend (Paul Giamatti) . From start to finish intrigue and action-packed is interminable , it's fast moving and is neither boring , nor tiring , but entertaining.

In the motion picture there is emotion , thriller , pursuits by car driving and cycles , shootouts and being enough interesting . The storyline is based on an original novel from Philip K. Dick , the prestigious author of : ¨Blade runner¨ , ¨Screams¨ , ¨Total recall¨ and ¨The Impostor¨ , all of them well adapted on several cinematic renditions . The plot of the film results to be pretty twisted and the ending has an extraordinary surprise . Interpretation by Ben Affleck is riveting , this one was his biggest fees to date . However , Matt Damon was originally considered for the part , but turned it down because it was too similar to The Bourne Identity . Affleck is well accompanied by the enjoyable and enticing Uma Thurman . Aaron Eckhart is outstanding as villain , likeness another nasty as Colm Feore . In addition , Michael C. Hall's feature film debut . The motion picture was compellingly directed by John Woo , who originally did not want to do his trademark "Mexican Standoff" in this film , but Ben Affleck begged Woo to include the scene having been a great aficionado of Woo's films as Better tomorrow (1988) , The Killer (1989) , Bullet in head (1990) and Hard Boiled (1992) . The yarn will appeal science fiction and thriller fans . Rating 6,5/10 , well catching .

Highly entertaining.

[paulclaassen · 7/10 · 23 January 2022]

'Paycheck' is an action thriller with some amazing action sequences in the vain of the 'Bourne' films.

Ben Affleck stars as a brilliant computer engineer, Jennings, who must analyze a computer for a rival company. Once done, his memory for the time period it took him to do the job, is erased. His good billionaire friend, Rethrick, then offers him a job that could last up to three years. When Jennings accepts, the film jumps ahead three years, leaving the viewer wondering what the hell he did.

The plot then thickens when Jennings is told he forfeited his share, and is given an envelope with everyday items instead. Jennings then finds himself in a cat and mouse game on the run from the company - and Rethrick - he worked for. With only the contents of the envelope to unravel the mystery, the film is an interesting concept, and the viewer unravels it together with Jennings.

Uma Thurman serves as the film's love interest, Rachel.

'Paycheck' has a great production design and great action sequences and visuals. Although not always believable, it was a lot of fun! This was highly entertaining!

Decent sci-fi action thriller

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 30 June 2009]

Having enjoyed previous John Woo films and liking science fiction I thought I'd give this film a go, I'm glad that I did as it has a decent, if somewhat far fetched, story and has plenty of action as one would expect from a John Woo film. Like other later John Woo films it is a lot less bloody than his Hong Kong films and his earlier Hollywood films.

Ben Affleck plays Michael Jennings, an engineer who makes a living hiring himself out to companies for a set time then having his memory wiped so that he can't recall any classified information. After one such contract he is shocked to find that before having his memory wiped he had declined his payment of almost $100,000,000 he has no idea why he would do something so insane, nor does he know why he has an envelope which appears to contain junk rather than the personal items he was expecting to get back. Before he has time to figure out what is going on he finds himself in FBI custody. He manages to escape though using some of the apparent junk in the envelope. He still doesn't know why he is being chased or how he knew what to give himself. As he struggles to come to terms with what is going on he meets up with the girl friend he has forgotten about and teams up with her to return to the site where he'd been working.

As one would expect from a John Woo film the action is done in a very stylish way, the acting is also decent. There where a few parts I wasn't so keen on; during the main fight seen a robotic arm is used to disarm an assailant in an overly cute way and the final scene seems tacked on and unnecessary. Over all though its an exciting film that can be watched by most ages.

Sometimes Great Seeds Germinate into Hideous Things

[drqshadow-reviews · 3/10 · 29 July 2011]

This adaptation of a Philip K. Dick short story tries so hard to get things just right that it's almost embarrassing to watch it fall down a steep set of stairs in the second act. Ben Affleck is at his Gigli-esque worst, displaying a grand total of two emotions as the genius-level intellectual willing to wipe the memory of his work after every assignment in exchange for a few extra dollar signs. Affleck doesn't deserve the full blame for this film's failings, though, as even Uma Thurman and Aaron Eckhart can't perform any miracles with a script so overcooked. Stiff, senseless dialog, uncomfortably dated pop culture references and an inherently flawed plot may have doomed it before the first role was cast. John Woo brings the goods during a few meaty action scenes, but even those suffer due to a loose interpretation of physics, a series of facepalm-worthy resolutions and a star who's simply not believable as the action hero he's playing. The high-concept introductory chapter works very well, but once this film sheds the skin of Dick's imagination and tries to take a few steps on its own, it stumbles in a series of bad directions.

An Underrated John Woo's decent Sci-Fi action futuristic favorite flick of mine!

[ivo-cobra8 · 10/10 · 5 March 2016]

Paycheck (2003) is very underrated John Woo's solid action futuristic thriller, that combines spectacular action sequences with a spellbinding mystery that keeps you guessing from beginning to breathtaking end. It is my John Woo's fourth personal favorite action film of his, that I absolutely love to death.

I know a lot of people don't like this movie because it is John Woo's movie and it is rated PG-13, I love it. I love Ben Affleck his made some of his movies that are favorite mine like are: Reindeer Games, The Sum of All Fears, Daredevil and of course this one Paycheck. Watching this movie I must say Ben Affleck can act and he gave one of his convincing acting performances I have seen. I have been from the beginning against his role Bruce Wayne / Batman which I thought they should have left Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy alone, but now after I have seen him in this movie I must say, if you gave Ben Affleck a good script, he will acted terrifically.

This flick is outstanding and Ben Affleck's character is well written and decent. Paycheck is a film that I feel is underrated (I enjoyed the story/ideas, the 'writing your own future, and then living the future you wrote after your memory has been wiped' aspect, the cast (I am a fan of Ben Affleck), the 'Sci-Fi' MacGyver aspect, the action bits which were there. I love the story I love Ben Affleck's character that he is a computer engineer who is working for company's and after he is done, they erasing his memories, he later accepts the job by friends company signs a three year contract and starts working on something big. Three years later, he thinks he won $92.000.000, but he is later double-crossed and chased by FBI and ruthless mercenaries. He finds an envelope with 20 subjects who helps him out of the trouble. The film is filled with mystery around, with what is all about. On the end of the film we found out, it is about a time machine, who can write a future and tells what will happened in your own future, which Michael Jennings build. Now Michael has to race against time, to go back where he started working on machine and destroy it, before Jimmy Rethrick (Aaron Eckhart) re writes his future by destroying the world.

About the cast a lot of actors in this film practically everyone in the main cast is connected to Batman in some weird way. Ben Affleck is the star of this movie and will be the next actor to portray The Dark Knight himself in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice this month. Aaron Eckhart plays the villainous Rethrick but in The Dark Knight he played Harvey Dent s Two-Face and if I may say he was incredibly underrated. Aaron played outstanding villain in this flick. Uma Thurman plays Rachel in Paycheck but we all of course remember her as Poison Ivy in the 1997 clunker Batman & Robin. Also Batman's love interest in The TDK trilogy is called Rachel. Uma Thurman was very likely in here and I liked her very much. I more remember her as the Bride in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill: Vol. 1 & 2, Mad Dog and Glory and of course I mentioned a failure Batman & Robin. Colm Feore played my favorite character Henry Taylor in 24 Season 7, he was outstanding as Rethrick's henchman Wolfe. I had no clue Michael C Hall - Dexter Morgan him self was in here as an FBI agent, he was just awesome. The last one is Paul Giamatti who was Jennings friend he wasn't also annoying I love him! He only had three scenes and he acted perfectly. Honestly I dare to say Paul Giamatti is far way better actor than Rob Schneider is.

Paycheck is written by short story of the same name by science fiction writer Philip K. Dick., I have enjoyed the action scenes, the acting performances, the chase on motorcycle was my favorite scene in the film. I love this movie and it is John Woo's fifth favorite action film of mine. This movie get's a solid perfect 10 score by me.

Woo's direction can't be touched, however I got a tad bothered at times by Affleck being cast in a role that didn't really suit him

[Quinoa1984 · 6/10 · 11 January 2004]

Paycheck, from a story by Philip K. Dick (which in Dreamworks and Paramounts' hands gets PG-13 treatment like Minority Report), is a story that is told from start to finish, however, the structure is scrambled for the hero. Ben Affleck plays Michael Jennings, a man who gets paid a lot to "reverse-engineer" certain companies. He gets asked by Aaron Eckhart's character James Rethrick to go under a new kind of experiment not under the supervision of the government. He drifts off into sleep, and when he awakes it's three years later and everything that happened after he really became awake is wiped from his memory. When Jennings finds out he was supposed to have waken up - and gained a love in his life via biologist Rachel Porter (Uma Thurman) - things get complicated. There isn't much else to expound story-wise, except that Dick's running theme of a man being chased by dangerous people is kept strong here as in Minority Report and Total Recall.

The turns the story takes aren't terribly complicated, though that is a minor problem for Paycheck. It's nothing that a viewer can really sink teeth into like MR, TR, and Blade Runner, and nearly all of the films action scenes and main story points are left on the shoulders of Affleck. Now, Affleck can show his stuff here and there (it's usually under a great script or when he gets only a few scenes to show his chops like in Boiler Room) yet under such dialog it's not a good place for him. He's done starring vehicles before, and I'm really seeing a pattern through them that's starting to bug me- in a lot of these big-money, Hollywood-ish high-octane thrillers there isn't much for Affleck to do except acting like himself. Woo tries to garner a performance that resembles a Hitchcock-ian lead like Grant or something (the Master was an influence on Woo to make this picture), and I just didn't see it working. Luckily, a supporting role for the lovely Uma Thurman as the romantic interest who can kick a** isn't squandered - her work here is solid enough to hold up enough scenes.

And then there's John Woo, who has come a ways since his Hong Kong shoot-em up thrillers. I would most likely pick The Killer, or even MI:2, before this one on a Woo best-of list. Never-the-less, it's hard for me to complain about his style with the material, and the general look of the film he contributes. You can tell he's working with a lot more money than his Hong Kong days, which is perhaps bitter-sweet for his hardcore fans of his days with Chow-Yun Fat. Is it a bad action film he's directed? Not necessarily- it may depend on how much a viewer can take of the acting and story vs. Woo's techniques to pull it off. With a dependable crew to work with, like DPs Jeffrey Kimball & Larry Blanford and editors Christopher Rouse & Kevin Stitt (not to mention the designers and such), there's some stuff to look for here in regard to the craft. There's one sequence- a chase on a motorcycle with Affleck and Thurman- that feels like it could be better on a repeat viewing.

Bottom line, there isn't a whole lot Woo can show in true Hong-Kong grit, and the PG-13 rating constricts him in up to a point. But as I said, (maybe more-so in the quieter scenes) at the least Woo keeps a viewer awake like a pro. He could be given a script written by a twelve-year old and make it sort of entertaining, and here isn't an exception. B-

Fine for a While. But only for a While.

[levybob · 3/10 · 18 June 2023]

'Paycheck' is not good. Oh, it's got a great beginning and a fine overall idea but it's execution is horrible. Blame Director John Woo. Not Philip K. Dick, from whose story the film was adapted.

Here's the story. Ben Affleck plays a future scientist who creates products for manufacturers. But the products are to be kept secret and so Affleck's memory of the design process is (voluntarily) erased once he completes the job. That way the manufacturer can be sure their product will stay secret till they want it released. But one product designed is so dangerous, both the manufacturer and law enforcement are searching for Affleck so that they can (a) make sure he doesn't spill the beans (manufacturer) and (b) get him to spill the beans (police).

All that is fine. But when Affleck becomes a Jason Bourne like fighting-machine the film defies credibility. When he navigates a motorcycle in an all but endless chase scene, it defies credibility even more. Add Uma Thurman as the love interest and the film descends even faster; she plays her role as a scientist as though she were a high-school cheerleader. Aaron Eckhart is the CEO of the manufacturing company and, incredibly, he's every bit as good a fighter as is Affleck's 'Bourne' character. There are chases and explosions and a secret laboratory right out of a bad James Bond film of the Seventies, and all and all we've got a giant mess on our hands, and we stop caring, stop paying attention, and begin hoping that the end will come soon.

And end it does. But sadly, not soon enough.

Better than I thought

[applezoid · 8/10 · 1 January 2004]

I went in to this film with relatively low expectations. Other reviews I had read led me to believe that this was a cookie cutter, run of the mill, made for tv-esque amnesia story. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The main plot of most amnesia types is trying to find out who they are and why someone erased their memory. With Paycheck, however, our protagonist already knows why his memory was erased, and since it's only been three years, he of course knows who he is.

The plot device is that at the end of this little memory wipe he's supposed to be 92 million dollars plus richer. Imagine his surprise when he finds out he's forfeit the money, and instead mailed himself some apparently worthless junk. Oh, and the company that hired him is trying to kill him.

This is what a Sci Fi movie should be, relying on an interesting premise, with future predictions based on current technology. Sci Fi is not space with explosions every five minutes.

Although there are a few minor plot holes, I found the movie very engaging, and thought the acting was competent, to say the least. Those who enjoyed Minority Report might also like Paycheck. It's worth a look.

bck

Underrated Ben Affleck Jaunt?

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 30 June 2014]

What seemed like a breezy idea for a reverse engineer (Ben Affleck) to net him millions of dollars, leaves him on the run for his life and piecing together why he is being chased.

The source material for this film comes from a Philip K. Dick story ("Paycheck") that amounts to little more than thirty pages. The general premise is the same (the erased memory and the knick knacks) but much has been added to flesh things out, the objects have been changed and the world portrayed is more like ours (with the FBI) than the business versus government one portrayed in the story.

While it might be hard to believe someone would trade $92 million dollars for useless junk, that is part of what makes the film compelling -- the burden is on director John Woo to convince us that Jennings made the right choice. And, being Woo, we will get plenty of action along the way -- chases, firefights, etc. With more than just a little inspiration from "North by Northwest" to add some class...

The film also, successfully, keeps the mystery in place of what Jennings was working on. Those who read the story will have a good idea, but keep in mind the screenplay changed the objects -- it could change the invention, too. Mystery, suspense, action... and a very impressive score from John Powell (a Hans Zimmer protégé)... this is a good one.

Reviews seem heavily mixed, with AV Club and Film Threat praising it, others criticizing the allegedly poor acting (this helped earn Affleck a Razzie, though that was mostly due to "Gigli"). Roger Ebert said the film "begins with a thought-provoking idea from Philip K. Dick, exploits it for its action and plot potential, but never really develops it." That may be fair, but also, there was only so much to work with. All in all, a solid film.

Nobody Deserves a Paycheck for This.

[anaconda-40658 · 4/10 · 21 April 2016]

Paycheck (2003): Dir: John Woo / Cast: Ben Affleck, Uma Thurman, Aaron Eckhart, Paul Giamatti, Colm Feore: Science fiction blunder about receiving information or having it erased. Unfortunately after our attention spans and brains receive this film it is an unruly task to erase it from memory. Ben Affleck plays a genius who specializes in expensive projects for big corporations. In order to keep secrets safe he has his memory erased. Fine setup that boils down to Affleck on the run with bad guys in pursuit and only an envelope of items to piece things together. It is total contrivance how some of these everyday items just happen to be of service at just the right moment such as the paperclip. Then comes the action violence climax. Director John Woo is backed by special effects but not the clever suspense he sustained in Face Off. Affleck should have had different items in that envelope such as the screenplay of a better film and perhaps car keys so that he can drive off the set and never look back. Aaron Eckhart is obvious to his motives in a key role. Uma Thurman is a prop for romance. Paul Giamatti is a contact of Affleck's. Colm Feore is wasted as another villain. It seems to substitute a screenplay for special effects and anything that dazzles and fries the mind. The film exists for its action, production and complete nonsense, but for those seeking deep themes there is little payoff. Score: 4 / 10

Good action but the gimmick is difficult to accept because it continually forces you to accept it

[bob the moo · 18 January 2004]

Michael Jennings is a reverse engineer who, in exchange for big money, takes items apart in order to rebuild them for other companies. After every job his memory is wiped back to the moment he started the job. When he is offered a massive payday to do a three-year job for friend James Rethrick he accepts. Next thing he knows it is three years later and the job done. He goes to collect his money but finds that he has waived his right to it and replaced it with a package full of strange objects. When he is set up with the FBI he goes on the run and realises that the objects are all clues or aids in his mission - a mission that he himself has arranged.

There's nothing quite like a good action movie that allows you to accept whatever the plot is as it presents good solid action. This film almost manages it and it is ironic that the concept from Dick is what weakens it. The plot is a bit of a stretch but once you accept it you can move on - like Face/Off, once you get the idea and accept it you can enjoy the action. However with Paycheck you are only left alone for 10 minutes before you have to accept the stretched plot all over again. Every time an item perfectly fits a situation you have to accept the whole concept over again. The problem is that the items are far too specific. With the lottery number strip it works, however with the paperclip and the bullet it is too much of a stretch and took the enjoyment off the action a bit.

Happily it is only a bit. The plot as an idea works pretty well but has been done better elsewhere (Bourne Identity and Total Recall for example) it is presented too full of holes that appear with the slightest picking. It would have been much better if the items had been bigger in terms of meaning rather than very specific (e.g. the lighter and hairspray), bigger clues and so on would have been better. However the action is still pretty good, not quite classic Woo but full or good touches. The film has a good steady pace to it and it keeps it up for the majority - very quickly getting through the set up and jumping to three years hence. The action is enjoyably slick and makes good use of effects; true, some of the set ups in the scenes is stretched, and some of the stuff about the weapons is just dumb (a fired bullet with it's casing, a bullet being fired by a thick piece of metal etc), however if you can accept the plot then I imagine accepting that Woo often takes style over substance shouldn't be a problem.

The cast is so-so despite having a surprising amount of famous faces. Affleck is better than usual; because he is quite ordinary he plays an everyman pretty well and it is easy to see him as a `normal' guy. Eckhart is reasonably good but he has limited screen time. It's good to see him in big films like this as he is an interesting guy, but I hope he doesn't just turn off his skills. Giamatti is in the film briefly and is OK comic relief but Thurman has been miscast. She does most of the film pretty well but her early scenes as an expert biologist are laughable she is so inept! The support cast features a really good turn from Feore as well as good roles from Morton and the wonderful Hall - although the roles are practically cameos.

Overall this is an enjoyable little action movie but it is ironic that the story is both interesting and the film's weak point. The items are too specific and, each time Jennings uses one, it forces the audience to accept the unlikely premise all over again. Worth seeing for enjoyable action delivered by a director who recovers some of his form here.

Ben Affleck Is Great In This Pure Sci-Fi Popcorn Action Thriller.

[lukem-52760 · 7/10 · 16 September 2022]

Ben Affleck plays Michael Jennings a reverse engineer who does technical jobs for big companies & then has his memory erased for big Paychecks but this last job given to him by a shady millionaire played by Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight, Olympus Has Fallen) is supposed to be Jennings final big Paycheck but it all goes wrong. Jennings worked for a few years, the most he's ever done, for a huge Paycheck that he never has to do this again but when his memory is erased he finds out he's wanted for treason & murder. Paycheck is a damn good action thriller directed by action master John Woo who has made a purely entertaining piece of futuristic science fiction action. It's an interesting concept of working on top secret jobs that after you finished you have your memory of it erased & Affleck plays it well as likeable Jennings. Affleck is on the run in Paycheck & has to outsmart his former company & their hitmen as he pieces together what he doesn't remember. A fun & interesting sci-fi concept.

Paycheck is a fun special effects type action film with a solid cast with sexy Uma Thurman as Jennings love interest & Colm Feore & Aaron Eckhart.

Paycheck is a movie that has mystery, corruption & suspenseful chase sequences all held together by a big leading man star Ben Affleck, who at this time of 2003 he was a huge star that starred in big films like Daredevil & Changing Lanes & The Sum Of All Fears for example. Affleck was a big rising star in his early 2000's glory days (i hated his silly Rom Coms though) I always thought Affleck was a likeable lead actor & I've always been a fan. Paycheck is definitely a big fun action popcorn blockbuster that was made purely for a fun thrill-ride & thats exactly what you get.

I think Paycheck is a very underrated movie that no one ever seems to mention or like but I'm a fan.

underrated film

[sloppyjoe911 · 6/10 · 8 November 2010]

I don t know why people hate this film, it's not great but it's certainly not bad. I has its flaws but for a basic entertaining scifi thriller, you can't go wrong.

Ben Affleck is not bad either. I have read some of Phillip Dicks stuff and this is just based on the story (as is everything Hollywood makes of his) but nonetheless, it's entertaining.

There are your basic flaws and a couple "aw come on" moments here and there but not enough to go negative on the movie.

Now Daredevil, yes, you can complain about Affleck in that one. That was a stinker. Paycheck is okay.

What a surprise!

[cdjackman · 7/10 · 6 April 2021]

I had never heard of this movie until it popped up as a suggestion for me on HULU.

It was fast paced, and fun! No nudity, no f bombs, no gore. Just a good movie. Entertainment as I think it should be.

Good Example Of 'Rambo Mentality'

[ccthemovieman-1 · 5/10 · 8 November 2006]

One of film critic Roger Ebert's pet peeves in the movies is when the killer hesitates before knocking off the good guy. He begins talking, instead of doing the job, and by then he is killed. I agree: it's stupidly insane.

My pet peeve is what I call "Rambo mentality." That's where the bad guys shoot tons of rounds of ammunition at the good guy from point-blank range and never hit him, while the good guy hits everything in sight! Well, that was the case in the second half of this movie.

Too bad, because the first half of this was very good....until the action started to really kick in and that "Rambo mentality" took over. There must have been at least 100 shots fired at Ben Affleck in this film and none - zero - hit him. Hey, I know "that's the movies," but the film was trying to be a serious one. At that point, it lost me. There were credibility problems elsewhere, too, in this get back-the memory-and expose-the bad guys-film.

Even though he can be stylish and fun to watch, I should have known this might be stupid when I saw Hong Kong action guru Jame Woo was directing this mess.

John Woo futuristic psychedelia thriller & master action film

[Bob_647 · 10/10 · 31 May 2020]

Ben Affleck stars as Michael Jennings, a reverse engineer who's hired by major corporations to build products superior to all rival companies. Afterwards, his memory is erased by a partner of his (Paul Giamatti) and he's given a large paycheck for his time and troubles; usually the whole process takes about three months. His latest offer comes from an old friend of his (Aaron Eckhart), who promises an eight-figure deal at the end of the transaction. The catch is that the whole procedure will take three years. Despite some reluctance, he agrees to the deal and when the three years pass by, Jennings, thinking he's a rich man, is shocked to discover he gave up over ninety million dollars in favor of an envelope containing twenty everyday household items.

The film is superbly directed by John Woo. It's like an assembly of classic parts from technological 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. The hero awakens in a situation that mystifies him as much as the audience. As he puts the pieces of the puzzle together with side kick helper Uma Thurman the script Woo has to work keeps the audience hanging on to every next revelation piece of the technological thriller. The film erupts at the end to Woo's signature hand at sublime well choreographed Hong Kong mash that in turn packs the audience's hang to a crisp.

There are concepts in this movie that specifically intrigue , the first one is choosing deliberately to erase your own memory. Take, for instance, the fact that the hero loses his memory over the three year span. Does the last thing he remembers feel like a three-year old memory or an event that happened just a second ago? The major science fiction concept, the ability to see into the future, is explored with much interest and it leads to a number of baffling questions. You see, it's revealed Jennings sent himself those twenty items because they can come in handy at a specific moment that'll help him survive or escape from a dangerous situation.

The profound lesson in the film's end resonates strongly and has the audience thinking about their future and our future here on planet Earth. If a film can do that, it can't be all that bad. The film is based on the science fiction writing of Philip Dick, a great mind and perhaps a soothsayer to what lies ahead for all of us. A great theme for this film might be little things mean a lot or thanks for the memories!

Entertaining

[jcarlos-96740 · 6/10 · 23 March 2020]

The premise of the story is good but It would've been better with more story and less action witch I found a little bit too much because at some points these feels more like an action movie that everything else. There were some cliches and a little illogical parts but was still fun to watch, better than what I expected actually

An Absurd Story-Line

[romanorum1 · 3/10 · 16 December 2016]

Michael Jennings (Ben Afleck) is well-groomed and wears exquisitely knotted ties and tailored suits. He is a self-employed contractor who accomplishes tech jobs for participating companies; that is, reverse-engineering new computer breakthroughs. He improves the computer products originally developed by others. If one thinks about it, his work is borderline ethical at best. He is very well compensated for his work, and when his contract is over his short-term memory of the work is erased so that he cannot reveal secrets. The job may be risky but it pays well. His largest contract has been for two months, but now his old square-jawed friend, James Rethrick (Aaron Eckhart) of Allcon offers him a job that will last three years and pay tens of millions of dollars. It involves a system that will change the world by predicting future events. Wow!

Jennings agrees and when he awakens he soon discovers that not only is he NOT getting compensated, but that the FBI is on his trail. The FBI is involved because the program that Jennings improved upon was originally designed by a former FBI scientist whose project was terminated. He has been set up by his pal Rethrick, and all he has is a manila envelope with 20 personal items. They include a passkey, a ring, a silver coin, watch, sun glasses, cigarette lighter, a matchbook, bus pass, a partially-completed crossword puzzle, and others. Jennings needs these articles as they are clues to assist him in his personal mission; he has to determine when to employ each to save him from predicaments. Jennings is immediately on the lam, accompanied by sexy Rachel porter (Uma Thurman). He cannot fully remember her as their relationship occurred during the three years that coincided within the same period of his memory removal. Helping out for a very short screen presence is his assistant, Shorty (Paul Giamatti), who is in charge of memory erasure.

We find out through convoluted reasoning there is a danger of World War III. The theme is weak while most characters are ill-developed. Screenplay is sub-par. You as the viewer know this is true when a director tries to pad his plot holes and weak story-line with absurd choreography, very long high-speed chases, explosions, constant and annoying screen flashes, and quick editing (don't blink). Riding a motorcycle (with a passenger!) he can outrace and outmaneuver hardened armed men in cars who are shooting at him. Then Dillon, a computer nerd and up to now not a he-man, suddenly morphs into a superhero to save the world from nuclear destruction and takes on . . . and defeats . . . a series of trained and tough security men! Then the last one, the top honcho, snickers with his handgun, figuring he finally has Jennings. Hey, buddy, you just lost your entire gang. Oh, never mind, you'll get yours anyway!

Dillon's 21st century movie choices have mostly been less than favorable, and this one proves it. Here the man tries hard enough, but still cannot save the show.

What More Do We Want!!

[sachinsethi-mib2011 · 8/10 · 21 November 2011]

Yesterday, I saw the movie "Paycheck" and against the so-called rating I found the movie pretty good. This movie has everything that one can expect from a sci-fiction action thriller which carves it way beautifully during its course. The reviews have unnecessarily demeaned and underrated this movie and has spread bad-word which is not at all deserved by the movie.

The movie revolves around a protagonist Micheal Jennings- an reverse engineer(Ben Affleck) who does Technical Jobs for various organizations and whenever he's done with his work, his memory is wiped out within that period and he gets a handsome paycheck in lieu of his services.

The Twist comes in the movie when a billionaire James Rethrick (Aaron Eckhart) offers him a new assignment that would take 2-3 years of his life and memory. The movie comes to a leap where in it has been shown that the assignment is finished and Jennings comes into the real world only to find out that he has given up all of his paycheck in exchange of some offerings i.e 20 Items which would help him in situations to come. The main plot here is that he was working on Machine that enabled him to see his future and he saw that he will be killed by Rethrick. So to survive he beautifully engineers his way out of this situation where FBI, Cops, Rethricks men all are running behind him.

This movie do have some lapses but it scores on strong vision of director, good performances and gripping plot. This is a breathe of fresh air for a sci-fi fan and should be appreciated.

Harmless, fast-paced fun

[mgruebel · 6/10 · 13 November 2015]

This film is as under-rated as "Minority Report" is over-rated. Both are passable Dick adaptations, but without the flair of the master for mental paradox.

People seem to love to hate Ben Affleck, and this may be part of the reason this film has been dinged so much. Like "Minority Report," it suffers from gaping plot holes that come with not-so-carefully crafted premonition/time travel stories. Not Dick's fault: the directors (Woo and Spielberg) should not have toyed with the stories 'to enhance drama.'

Here the problem is as follows: Affleck has taken on a top secret job, with the understanding his memory will be wiped afterward. The job is to create a machine that can inspect the future, and it tells him his boss is going to kill him. So he watches himself and every time he gets caught, figures out an item that will get him out of the pinch. He then sends himself the items in an envelope in lieu of his paycheck, to get his attention after the memory wipe, and from there on his cat-and-mouse game with his boss ensues. The problem here is chaotic dynamics: every time he figures his next escape and adds another item, that item will newly show up in the envelope, changing in ever less subtle ways what actually happens, so the situation for the item will never arise.

If you forgive the film that basic flaw, it's jolly good action and fun. Uma Thurman does not interfere too much and the two never get gooey-schmooey, which really does not work in a B-action movie anyway. I loved that bathroom mirror message thing.

It is very rare that time travel or premonition movies get pulled off right. The only recent example is the Spierig brother's "Predestination," and only because they stuck exactly with Heinlein's story. Go see "Paycheck" when you feel like a harmless evening with a brew and some friends, and "Predestination" if you want to see a film where you really have to think through the plot carefully to realize that every time you think something's wrong, you were not thinking clearly enough.

I rate this the same as "Minority Report" because it has no more flaws to its logic, yet lacks the pretense of Spielberg's opus at something higher.

Who approved the motorcycle sound?

[kqc7011 · 3/10 · 12 March 2014]

Those film makers that do NOT know the difference between the sound that of a small high revving engine makes and a two cylinder BMW boxer engine should be forced to have foley artists clap coconuts at all there proposal meetings. The the cars blowing up. The weapons (guns) used in a cartoon fashion. Typical work by the production company of a PKD story, while PKD might have used acid while writing, the production people should not have. Might have been a decent movie. The ten line minimum might work for a good movie writing ten lines on this type of movie is not worth the effort. Also, when a movie review site does not know what a FOLEY artist is some thing is wrong. This site keeps saying that FOLEY might be a "spelling mistake".