Underplayed Gems

Payback (1999)

Payback poster
Directed by
Brian Helgeland
Genre
drama film, action film, heist film, neo-noir, thriller film
Country
United States
Runtime
1h 41m
Rated
R
Rating
6.8 of 10 from 2,032 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

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The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A professional thief is double-crossed by his partners after a heist and left for dead. He survives and sets out to recover the money he is owed, operating by his own brutal code.

grittytensenoirishbleakfast-pacedcoldunsentimentalvisceral

What happens

Payback is a 1999 American neo-noir action thriller film written and directed by Brian Helgeland in his directorial debut, and starring Mel Gibson, Gregg Henry, Maria Bello, Lucy Liu, Deborah Kara Unger, David Paymer, James Coburn and Kris Kristofferson. It is based on the novel The Hunter by Donald E. Westlake using the pseudonym Richard Stark, which had earlier been adapted into the 1967 film Point Blank. During post-production, Helgeland was removed by Gibson and the producers, who rewrote and reshot substantial portions of the film, including a different third act and a new villain played by Kris Kristofferson. This version of the film was released by Paramount Pictures on February 5, 1999, and received mixed reviews from critics. In 2006, Helgeland issued a director's cut, entitled Payback: Straight Up – The Director's Cut, that differs substantially from the version released by the studio. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

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