Movies / Payback (1999)
Runtime: 100 min
Genres: Action Crime Drama Thriller
Languages: English
Countries: USA
They stole his money, turned his woman against him, and left him for dead. Now tough-guy poster child Porter (the appropriately world-weary Mel Gibson) is back, bad to the bone, and a mite ticked off at the Organization that done him wrong. Mucho macho carnage ensues. It took some major guts for first-time director (and Oscar winner for the script of L.A. Confidential) Brian Helgeland to take a shot at adapting Donald Westlake's pseudonymous, legendarily gritty novel The Hunter for the screen (especially considering that director John Boorman and irresistible force Lee Marvin had already produced a fairly definitive rendering of the source material with their enigmatic 1967 masterpiece Point Blank). Nonetheless this novice auteur managed to pull out a winner. Put simply, this compulsively watchable piece of scuzz-art hits like a well-placed Magnum round, with a wonderful '70s vibe and an awesome rogues' gallery of baddies (including James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson, William Devane, and the riotously sadistic Lucy Liu) for the charmingly battered star to play off of--and ultimately wade through. Although this enjoyably seedy roll through the gutter of Crime Alley does occasionally threaten to wander off its downturned track (hands-on producer Gibson reportedly stepped in at the last moment to make his antihero a little more heroic), the final result is an admirably pulpy, distinctly dirty slice of neo-noir liberally marinated in blood, blue smoke, and bourbon. This particular payback's one tough little SOB, indeed. --Andrew Wright
Keywords (152) |
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chinese mafia credit card fraud call girl identity theft heist gone wrong chinese food shot in head fetish butterfly knife extortion More Keywords » |
Directors (1) | Credit |
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Brian Helgeland | ... |
Writers (3) | Credit |
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Brian Helgeland | (screenplay) and |
Donald E. Westlake | (novel "The Hunter") (as Richard Stark) |
Terry Hayes | (screenplay) theatrical cut |
Composers (1) | Credit |
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Chris Boardman | ... |
Editors (1) | Credit |
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Kevin Stitt | ... |
Cinematographers (1) | Credit |
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Ericson Core | (director of photography) |
Actors (54) | Credit |
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Alex Henteloff | Varrick's Manager |
Alex Skuby | Oakwood Arms Tough #2 |
Andrew Cooper | Whipping Boy |
Art Cohan | Bronson's Heavy #2 |
Bill Duke | Det. Hicks |
Brian Heinberg | Bartender #2 |
Chet Nichols | Oakwood Arms Tough #1 |
Daniel Patrick Sullivan | Razor Clean #2 |
Dani Jayden | School Girl (uncredited) |
David Dunard | Doctor |
David Paymer | Arthur Stegman |
David Tweet | Haskell (uncredited) |
Deborah Kara Unger | Mrs. Lynn Porter |
Doc Duhame | Fatboy |
Ed Pfeifer | Edward Johnson |
Elizabeth Berridge | Hooker in Bar (uncredited) |
Freddy Rodríguez | Punk Messenger |
George O'Mara | Driver |
Gregg Henry | Val Resnick |
Jack Conley | Det. Leary |
James Coburn | Justin Fairfax (uncredited) |
James Deuter | Tailor |
Jeff Imada | Chow's Bodyguard |
Joe DeVito | Bank Patron (uncredited) |
John Glover | Phil |
Jovanna Vitiello | Waitress (uncredited) |
Justin Ashforth | Michael, Bartender #1 |
Kate Buddeke | Counter Girl |
Katrina Phillips | Bank Teller |
Kris Kristofferson | Bronson |
Kwame Amoaku | Radioman |
Lee Stepp | Bar Patron |
Len Bajenski | Fairfax Bodyguard #1 |
Lucy Liu | Pearl (as Lucy Alexis Liu) |
Manu Tupou | Pawnbroker |
Marc Vann | Gray |
Maria Bello | Rosie |
Mark Alfa | Johnny's Friend #2 |
Mel Gibson | Porter |
Michael Chinn | Mr. Obvious (uncredited) |
Michael Park Ingram | Chow's Thug #1 (as Michael Ingram) |
Michael Skewes | Fairfax Bodyguard #2 |
Nathan Effron | Johnny's Friend #1 |
Price Carson | Bronson's Heavy #1 |
Robert Kim | Chow's Courier |
Robert Kurcz | Oakwood Arms Manager |
Roddy Chiong | Chow's Thug #2 |
Tedd Taskey | Waiter |
Tom Equin | Razor Clean #1 |
Trevor St. John | Johnny Bronson |
Turk Muller | Black Suit |
William Devane | Carter |
Yasen Peyankov | Panhandler |
Yûichi Hibi | Gang |