Payback Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Payback Blu-ray Movie Review

Straight up, this is a solid movie and Blu-ray disc.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 25, 2008

I just want my money back.

Payback: Straight Up, a director's cut of the 1999 Mel Gibson film Payback, is, from all accounts, a decidedly darker, more violent, more unforgiving, more exploitative film than the original. Having never seen the 1999 version, I have no basis for comparison, but this director's cut is certainly a superb piece of work. Hearkening back to the gritty, relentless look and feel of 1970s action films such as Serpico, Taxi Driver, and Dirty Harry, Payback: Straight Up succeeds in boldly telling a simple story of one man's determination to set things right, retake what is his, and punish both those responsible for his loss and anyone who dares interfere with his task. A brutal film, Payback: Straight Up pulls no punches in its storytelling, creating an atmosphere that is decidedly at odds with your typical Hollywood fare, especially one with an A-list lead actor headlining the film. There are no good people in this movie, no moral values, no life lessons, just a harsh, no nonsense portrayal of a hard-nosed nobody who just might have a sliver of honor in him, but a sliver only, and certainly a sliver more than anyone else in the film.

Listen, Mel, I'd share, but you gotta bring your own chopsticks.

Porter (Mel Gibson, Signs) and his colleague, Val (Gregg Henry, Star Trek: Insurrection) are small-time crooks looking at a big score. Val is in need of $130,000 to buy is way into "the syndicate," (or "the outfit"), a vague crime/mob ring that is never fully explained in the film but serves its purpose nevertheless as the film quickly moves along towards its resolution. Porter and Val succeed in the hit, but discover the sum of the money they've stolen is only $140,000 -- leaving Val far short of the money he owes the syndicate if he and Porter split the cash as agreed. With the help Porter's ex-wife Lynn (Deborah Kara Unger, Silent Hill), Val double-crosses Porter, who is shot and left for dead. Some time later, Porter finds himself recovered from his wounds and seeks out Val and his $70,000, not a penny more, and not a penny less. He'll encounter crime bosses, corrupt police officers, and a prostitute named Rosie (Maria Bello, Coyote Ugly) along the way, but in the end, all he cares about is his money, and perhaps exacting some revenge on Val.

Payback: Straight Up feels like a throwback to the gritty, grimy, ugly action films of the 1970s complete with the perfect anti-hero. The open of the film does an excellent job of establishing Porter's credentials as a con man and thief in one of the most entertaining sequences I've seen in a long while, and the brass-y musical accompaniment is one more piece of evidence that tells us the film is to be an homage to the great action films of the 70s. Then again, the subsequent scene cements Porter's status as a scum bag as he severely beats his wife. There is even a 1970s-ish dollar amount assigned to the price Porter is dead-set on reclaiming: $70,000, an amount still large today, but larger by 70s standards. In fact, several characters proclaim their shock when they discover Porter is risking it all for a measly $70,000 (and even mock him even when they believe he is after the full $130,000 Val paid to the syndicate). Director Brian Helgeland (A Knight's Tale) has a wonderful film here. It tells a very simple story, shot in a style that doesn't merely compliment the story, but tells it. Payback: Straight Up would have completely failed as a film were it shot in bright, clean, welcoming locales. The filthy, grimy look of the picture, as evidenced by not only the filming locations but also in the heavy grain present over the picture, tells the story of the desperation, despair, and relentlessness that is Porter's quest for payback.

Payback: Straight Up also works because the acting is uniformly fantastic. Mel Gibson is excellent as always, this time bringing out a darker, more violent, and completely unfaltering and cruel persona, the likes of which he's never really played before. He's done violent and tough, but never quite like this. In The Patriot, Gibson portrayed a capable but reluctant fighter; in Lethal Weapon, he starred as a tough cop with a serious sense of humor; Gibson's Mad Max character is perhaps the single one that most closely resembles Porter in terms of attitude and relentlessness, but for something completely different, especially coming from a generally affable and well-liked actor, Gibson's portrayal of Porter is unique in his career, and certainly unique for a leading man of his caliber. Porter is arguably Gibson's best character and performance yet in his most underrated movie to date. Complete with a cast of excellent character actors, including Gregg Henry as Val (whose reaction to the news that Porter is still alive is priceless), David Paymer, William Devane, James Coburn, and Bill Duke, Payback: Straight Up feels all the more genuine and real thanks to the fine performances of these men.

Payback Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Payback: Straight Up is an ugly, grainy presentation, and I loved it. Presented in 1080p high definition and framed in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, Paramount has delivered the goods and left the film's gritty look intact. To fully enjoy this film, expectations must be set appropriately before beginning your screening. This is a rather hard transfer to judge if one is not intimately familiar with the original work, but knowing what I know about the movie, and discussing it with another person who has recently seen it, the consensus is that this is how it's supposed to look -- ugly. Considering the throwback nature of the film, the image here appears to be fairly accurate with the director's vision for the film. I've not seen them, but based on the previews, Payback: Straight Up appears to offer a somewhat similar look and feel that was employed by Death Proof and Planet Terror, two films that are also throwbacks to 70s exploitation, and were advertised as such.

Onto the actual review of the image, one of the first things you'll notice is that colors are generally drab, and while the film doesn't deliberately shy away from any one or series of colors, their appearances are decidedly uninteresting and lacking in vibrancy. Softness is never a problem in the foreground or on framed characters and objects. Facial detail is solid in its own regard. It's not crystal-clear, but it is very nice considering the grimy look of the picture. Black levels are fine, but shadow detail is only moderate. A few very minor drawbacks are evident on the transfer, including some ghosting on a few straight, brightly-lit objects and poor definition here and there on foreground objects. At the end of the day, I loved the look of Payback, and I also loved that Paramount wasn't afraid to show the film in all its grainy, dank, director-intended look.

Payback Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Paramount delivers Payback: Straight Up to Blu-ray with only one audio option: a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. This lossy track is decidedly front-heavy but features a solid presence and fidelity. Dialogue, the driving force behind the story, is crisp and intelligible. Everything syllable is perfectly reproduced, be they words from a teary-eyed man on the wrong end of the barrel of Porter's magnum revolver or angry words over a telephone speaker, there is never a problem in discerning the spoken words heard throughout the film. The score flows neatly through the front channels and sounds vibrant, but with just a bit of a harsh edge, no doubt another way the film pays homage to the classics of the 70s. There is a bit of movement across the front soundstage; the occasional car will move from right to left, or vice versa, but to little sonic effect past a simple cursory notice of the sound's presence. Even in scenes where we would expect deeper bass, it's not present. The lows seem to emanate more from the main left and right speakers rather than the subwoofer, and there is a definite lack of punch in scenes where a character is hit by a car, for example. A few gunshots offer quite the wallop, from single shots from a revolver or, one one occasion, a fully automatic discharge of lead. Despite the front-heavy and lossy nature of the soundtrack, this one is a solid listen that won't set your sound system on fire, but it is good enough to excite your senses and draw you deeper into the movie.

Payback Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Payback: Straight Up offers a nice array of extra features, headlined by a wonderful commentary track from writer/director Brian Helgeland. He delves into the differences between his version of the film and the studio version, a few problems test screenings encountered (not realizing Porter was acting on principle), why he refused to shoot a different ending to the film, and plenty of other telling stories about the meaning and purpose of the film. He also offers up his take on the philosophical undertones of the movie, the psyche and psychology of the characters, and other assorted deeper insights into the film. This track is a must-listen for anyone who enjoyed the movie. Next up is Paybacks are a B*tch (480p, 49:41), a two-part feature (On Location in Chicago [30:02] and On Set in Los Angeles [19:39]) that examines Helgeland's personal background, the origins of the story, and more. There is a superfluous amount of discussion about the film Conspiracy Theory which Helgeland wrote and Gibson starred in. Nevertheless, this feature is an entertaining watch that features interviews with the primary cast and behind-the-scenes glances.

Same Story - Different Movie, Creating 'Payback: The Director's Cut' (480p, 28:56) is the best and most fascinating feature on the disc. It is an in-depth look at the director's cut versus the studio-sanctioned theatrical cut of the film. Helgeland and others offer a candid discussion of why the studio was not pleased with this cut of the film; they envisioned it as more of a populist, Lethal Weapon-esque, audience friendly picture. An entire third act was re-shot, and included characters that weren't even in this original edit of the film, including Kris Kristofferson (Planet of the Apes), and removed Mel Gibson's voice-over. The theatrical cut is also Gibson's preferred cut of the film. The feature also delves into the physical process of re-editing the film, which is fascinating in its own right. One of the finest features I've ever seen, this is worth watching for anyone interested in the inner-workings of Hollywood. Next is The Hunter: A Conversation With Author Donald E. Westlake (480p, 10:47), a self-explanatory feature that showcases an interview with the author of the novel upon which Payback is based. Rounding out the supplemental package is a 1080p Paramount high definition promotional piece.

Payback Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Mel Gibson has starred in some fantastic films in his career, and none may be as underrated as Payback: Straight Up. Telling a very simple story in a powerful, complex manner, overflowing with a robust list of A-list stars and character actors, so-ugly-its-beautiful direction and set design, and a brisk 90 minute runtime that feels like nine minutes, Payback: Straight Up is straight-up a fantastic movie that dares to be completely different from typical Hollywood feel-good fare. Paramount delivers this film to Blu-ray with an ugly yet nearly pristine picture quality, a decent audio mix, and an average set of extras. Highly recommended!