Payback

The basic plot of this movie is that a big ole impassive lunkhead (played, in what can't really be described as imaginative casting, by Mel Gibson) named Porter recovers from being left for dead with two large-caliber bullet wounds and proceeds to maim and get maimed in a spree designed to get $70,000 that they guy who shot him took from him. All three female characters are whores (including one heroin-junkie whore), most of the male characters are sadists, and the various injuries suffered by various parties just keep getting more baroquely grotesque, up to a thrilling scene right before the finale in which one of the henchmen smashes two of Porter's toes with a ballpeen hammer.

Of course, this is the springboard for a comedy.

Yes, readers, comedy is this movie's main real actual mission, and it succeeds rather well at it. Some of you more sensitive viewers, like my mommy, will wonder at how a movie containing the above can possibly be humorous, seeing as how there's so much human suffering and wanton, depraved violence and whatnot. For those of you who see no essential conflict here, though, this is one hell of a funny movie. And I'm not really talking about the comedy of the suave badass, although there is some element of that; there is also some low-key but just plain silly comedy in here which comes off well. (Thanx for John Henderson for reminding me to make this distinction.)

Right from the ridiculously petty thefts that open the film, set to ironically apocalyptic-sounding music and including pilfering beggared bills from a supposedly crippled Vietnam vet's hat (as the beggar gets up to chase Porter, he snarls, "I cured ya"), this movie delivers humorous moments by the bucketful. The direction is nicely snaky and unpredictable, the cinematography is hauntingly beautiful, and the music enhances without drawing attention to itself.

But the main strength of this film is its cast, which has no weak link. There's Mel Gibson, appropriately resolute, vicious, dumb, and good at saying something cool or just smirking self-satisfiedly when offing bad guys. (It is, in fact, true that Porter by normal standards is a bad guy, but he's less bad than everyone else in the movie, so whattre you gonna do.) All the bad guys are amusingly chilling and nonchalant in their sadism and casual in their assessment of Porter ("Now that's just *mean*!" says one bad guy after Porter shoots his genuine alligator skin suitcases). Maria Bello is pretty good as the good whore, providing the largely unnecessary but obligatory moments of sentiment in the film as she and troglodyte Porter take a romantic interest in each other, as must happen between the antihero and the good whore.

But all scenes are pilfered by Lucy Alexis Liu as a dominatrix, all hisses and sadistic smiles and punches as resounding as one would expect from a real-life black belt. Also she is astonishingly hot. One scene in particular is priceless: Porter has come to beat up a low-level bad guy to get info from him, but he happens to be with Lucy Alexis Liu at the time. Just as Porter is about to lay into him, Liu says "No! Allow me," in the kind of voice that will get any man's attention, and proceeds to beat the everliving crap out of the guy. Porter has to call her off, in fact, so that he can get the information before she kicks him unconscious! Priceless stuff. (Actually, now that I think about it, she actually has one better scene, but I won't spoil it.)

This movie proves once again that, while any hack can make romantic mishaps or cute children amusing, it takes talent aplenty to turn senseless violence into a laff riot as satisfying as the one presented to us here.

Attractive Man Count: 1.

Attractive Woman Count: 3, 1 for Maria Bello, none for the heroin-junkie whore, and 2 for Lucy Alexis Liu, who may actually lure me into watching an episode of the odious Ally McBeal.

Overall Grade: A-. If you thought at any time that you might like this movie, rest assured: you will like this movie.

I might even go see this again! Think of that! Lindemann

p.s. This means that Denzel and Lucy Alexis Liu are the only two people to get 2's in the AMC/AWC (Michelle Yeoh would get a 2 if she would just bother to appear in a movie). Just for those of you that aren't paying attention.

This review was written in longhand in the café Bethesda Barnes & Noble because I was suffering from overuse tendinitis, which eventually made me quit my job. That was the first and last time I wrote in a café. I felt too much like part of the scenery. On a happier note than job-losing and scenery-making, this movie began my Official Pointless Hollywood Starlet Crush on Lucy Liu, which continues unabated to this day.

Also, I don't write things like "main real actual mission" anymore, but I'm not sure I shouldn't.

Action Movies Home

Movie Reviews Home

Spam-O-Matic Home