Payback (1995) User Reviews

Worth the Price of Admission!

[vtown81 · 7/10 · 7 February 1999]

Take this one home on your next visit to the Video Store. If you are offended by "hot sex", you may reconsider, but the drama is excellent, and unlike a lot of films, the ending does not drag on. It is exciting, and appropriately concise.

After seeing this, I'm looking out for more Joan Severance flicks!

Surprisingly good.

[Flash-31 · 7/10 · 4 October 1998]

Surprisingly good: script with twist (true suspense), good acting by C.Thomas & Joan Severence. Direction was particularly good.

Where's Mel Gibson??

[Breuse Sans Piete · 7/10 · 3 March 2000]

Oh wait, wrong movie. He's not needed here tho. This is an above average movie. Joan Severance should be a much bigger star than she is. Why isn't she? She's completely gorgeous and can act. This movie has a few surprises here and there. Nothing mindblowing or completely out of the blue. But definitely worth watching the next time it comes on cinemax.

joan was great

[Raman · 17 November 1998]

Movie was not anything great but joan severance was too sexy and i like erotic looks and her sexy scenes. she is too sexy i love her

Payback is a bitch, literally

[videorama-759-859391 · 7/10 · 22 February 2016]

Before Mad Mel, came in blazing some payback of his own, four years, prior, this exciting B gradie fun pic, teased us with some nice push the envelope sex scenes, dome to a nice tune, and blood spilling violence and HOWELL. He's one of my favorite actors who never lacks, a good actor who like others, was dealt a bad blow, such as his loser ex con character, Oscar Bonsetta, out to settle some scores, and carry out a old dying prisoner's wish, to collect this hidden loot, with the aid of a treasure map. When released he tracks down an old enemy warden, now blind and shacked up with hottie, Severance (the super charged sex scenes with her and Howell are unforgettable). Parading as someone else, so his blinded arch enemy warden doesn't catch on, Howell settles into this seaside hotel, run by the couple, quite nicely. Howell really plays the loser well, and I must say, it's bad hand of fate, was a nice, admirable, shock point, and yes there are a few thrills and twists, that makes Payback, a nice little orchestrated B grade with style, not to mention, a cool shootout opening, wonderfully done, by a director I admire, who like Mark L Lester, makes addictive bubble gum pics. It's not just Howell, that's good, but honestly, his performance was one of the best. There's a real nasty moment too, in a hate fueled scene, between Howell and Richard Burgi (Hostel 2, Friday 13th remake) who plays the warden's cowboy, cop brother, that for me was the standout scene. And yes, Severance here, is her pretty hottest. This whole movie runs so nicely, and is definitely worth it's weight in view, where the sex scenes, may seem overlong, but man are they hot.

Even its low budget B movie . but still its good .... Joan is so damn fine woman of 90s.

[afterdarkpak · 7/10 · 5 March 2020]

A good movie with some really good performance of all main lead characters.

movie has simple story , but it gets more exciting later in the end because of really surprising twist and turns. But i really dont like the ending. as its not very satisfying.

Joan performance is brilliant in this one, even her role is Alluring wife even she is wearing boring waitresses dress all the time but still she has some really sexy and seductive attraction. and damn that sex scene on top of the car's bonnet is soo amazing. i really wished there would be more scenes like that.

better than most lower-rate erotic thrillers

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 13 May 2015]

Oscar Bonsetter (C. Thomas Howell) is a punk sent to prison for a shootout in a convenient store. He promises dying elderly prisoner Mac to avenge his death against the sadistic guard Gully (Marshall Bell). In return, he tells Oscar of a hidden stash of cash. Both Gully and Oscar are after the cash but neither has the complete picture. Gully tortures Oscar but he never submits. Oscar is released and finds Gully now blind. Oscar is also attracted to Gully's waitress wife Rose (Joan Severance).

This has the basics of a good Hitchcockian thriller. It's three characters with their own agenda and secrets in a seacliff diner. The style is too much exploitation B-movie. The writing is not necessarily well done but it's certainly better than most lower-rate erotic thrillers.

Joan Severance is HOT HOT HOT

[JeffPoirier242 · 10/10 · 1 September 2003]

Saw this movie and thought it was a decent story line (it's been done before many times over). But, Joan Severance makes it a 10, boy is she sexy. That face, those eyes, those sexy long legs...

She is considered a B-Movie and scream queen actress, but you will become a fan after seeing her in this movie !

An Excellent Film Noir, Full of Surprises and Having a Good Director and Cast

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 14 January 2004]

Oscar Bonsetter (C. Thomas Howell) is a punk and during a robbery to a liquor store, he is arrested. He spends many years in prison, where he becomes friend of the old prisoner Mac (R.G. Armstrong). There is a legend in the prison that Mac has a great fortune, fruit of a robbery, hidden somewhere. Trying to get information about the location of this amount, Mac is badly treated by the guard Gully (Marshall Bell). Mac becomes very ill, and a few minutes before he dies, he tells Bonsetter where the money is hidden, under the promise that he would kill Gully first. However, Bonsetter depends on a drawing exposed in Mac's jail to get the precise spot, but Gully takes all Mac possessions with him. Gully starts pressing Bonsetter, believing Mac told him the place where the money is hidden, but suddenly he suffers a car accident, becomes blind and is not able to work in prison anymore. Three years later, Bonsetter finishes his sentence, gets his freedom and looks for Gully, who owns a small bar on a road. Bonsetter meets Gully's wife Rose (the delicious Joan Severance), is hired for working there and becomes his lover, while trying to recover the map from Gully. Many plot points twist this story, until a surprising end, full of betrayals.

I have bought this B film about six years ago and only yesterday I decided to watch it. I was surprised, since it is an excellent film noir, with touches of the 1981 version of 'The Postman Rings Twice'. C. Thomas Howell and Joan Severance have a great performance and one of the hottest sex scenes in the cinema history, comparable, for example, with Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange in the foregoing mentioned movie, or Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin in 'Sea of Love'. The story has many plot points and hooks the attention of the viewer until the last scene. Further, it is very well directed. This is the proof that a low budget movie can be a good film, when having a tight screenplay and a good director, actor and actress. Joan Severance is very gorgeous and sexy, besides the great performance. It is highly indicated for viewers who likes films noir and amoral. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Preço do Desejo" ("The Price of the Desire")

Note: On 23 Sep 2018 I saw this film again.

The best Erotic Thriller I have ever seen!!!!!!!!

[littlej777-1 · 10/10 · 7 June 2004]

C. Thomas Howell (The Outsiders, That Night) plays as Oscar Bonsetter a punk that gets arrested for shop lifting. When he goes to jail his dying cell mate Mac tells Bonsetter were a massive fortune of money is hidden. But first Bonsetter must kill the man who gave Mac his fatal injuries Tom Gully. After three years Bonsetter is free and discovers that Tom Gulley is know blind. But there is one thing that is stopping him from killing Tom, his wife Rose, played by Joan Severance (Dangerous Indiscretion, Illicit Behavior).

This is a thriller that keeps you at the edge of your seat through most of movie, and a very pleasing sex scene on top of a car! Overall this movie is great and I give it a 10.

Everyone for themselves?

[lost-in-limbo · 8/10 · 3 May 2008]

Oscar Bonsetta, a young punk is sent to prison for 13 years for arm robbery and befriends an old inmate Mac. Prison guard Tom "Gully" Gullerman unfavourably torments and tortures Mac, in hopping that eventually he'll give up the position of his hidden loot, but he dies before doing so. However Oscar promises Mac that he'll get revenge and in doing so before he passed away he tells Oscar of a paper in his cell that would show the location were its hidden. But when he gets there his cell is cleaned up and Gully is waiting for him. Believing now his knows were the money is hidden, but before he could push him anymore. He has an car accident that prevents being a prison guard. Three years later Oscar is released, and tracks down Gully at road side diner, which he owns with his wife Rose and finds out his blind. Oscar begins working for them, and soon revenge is clouded with sensual passion for Rose.

Anthony Hickok's erotically deadly and charged-up thriller 'Payback' manages to draw you in, and in with its sweepingly causal moving story of twisty intrigue and fabulous performances led by C. Thomas Howell, Marshall Bell and the highly irresistible Joan Severance. The glowing Severance simply smokes up the screen that it's hard to take your eyes off her! The story isn't anything original, but manages to be tempting due to its terse material of desire, retribution, deceit and redemption in a refreshingly above-average script that has appealing shades of film-noir. It's quite like watching a domino effect take place. Lay it out, buy some time and then watch it unexpectedly collapse, as we nervously wait for the right moment to set it all in action. There's a real emotional intensity lurking underneath the surface, and these are broken up with those hot, steamy sex sequences and flashes of violence. Stylish, but compact direction by Hickok is executed very well and he uses the picturesque locations to great effect. It's definitely Hickok's most complete work that I've seen of his. Anthony Marinelli's succulent, silky music score just oozes and sizzles with the on-screen action. A neat little b-thriller.