Paycheck Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Paycheck Blu-ray Movie Review

A guilty pleasure through and through...

Forgive me father for I have sinned. It's been nine years since Mission: Impossible II led me to my last confession. Struggle as I have to avoid temptation, I've somehow become a full fledged John Woo apologist. Ever since The Killer and Hard Boiled burrowed their way into my heart in the '90s,
I haven't been able to approach a Woo production with the same ire or furrowed brow as other critics. I just love me some motorbike 'splosions! Ahem. I mean... I simply can't resist the lure of the director's intense action choreography, his penchant for on-screen destruction, or his ability to harmoniously transform bullets and acrobatics into a ballet of chaos and death. Take a film like Paycheck: I know I should I hate it. I know its clumsy script and wooden performances should offend my every last critical nerve. But, for whatever reason, I can't help but enjoy myself. Chalk it up to Affleck's smarmy grin, Eckhart's sleaze-cheese villainy, or the inevitable roar of Woo's latest motorcycle chase, I have a healthy dose of guilt-ridden fun every time I pop it in.

All the prerequisite elements for a Philip K. Dick adaptation are here in full force...

Based on a far more cerebral short story by famed science fiction author Philip K. Dick, Paycheck introduces Michael Jennings (Ben Affleck), an arrogant engineering whiz who analyzes existing electronics on the market to develop more lucrative technologies for his high-dollar clientèle. Due to the sensitive nature of his work, Jennings regularly allows his partner, Shorty (Paul Giamatti), to wipe his memory in order to protect his clients' interests. It's a profitable gig... that is until he tackles a project for Allcom CEO James Rethrick (Aaron Eckhart). After working on a secret device for three years and having his memory wiped once again, Jennings is informed that he signed away his compensation and left himself an envelope of seemingly worthless objects. Reeling from the realization that three years of his life have disappeared with nothing to show for it, Jennings has to turn to a mysterious scientist (Uma Thurman) for help, figure out why he relinquished his payment, and discover what it was that he built for Allcom in the first place.

Nonsensical? It requires even greater suspension of disbelief than Face/Off. Superficial? It's more shallow than Windtalkers. Subdued? Only if you compare it to Hard Target. As far as I'm concerned, Paycheck is the cinematic equivalent of a twelve-year old playing with a box of assorted action figures: bland uniformed guards are beat down and given the runaround by our nigh-invincible protagonists, bubble-pop science erupts on the screen with the spit-polish sheen of a glossy paged comicbook, and vehicles whip around corners and weave through traffic with exaggerated, physics-defying prowess. That's not to say there aren't plenty of compelling ideas brewing just below the surface, but it's all a bit too Minority Report-lite to resonate on the level Dick's original tale deserves. Thankfully, Woo's patented flair for the visually dramatic takes center stage and keeps things buzzing along at a rapidfire pace. Affleck and Thurman are left with little to do other than connect dots and dodge bullets, but a variety of scene-chewing baddies (including the ever-creepy Colm Feore and Eckhart himself in an early nod to elements that would later emerge in his portrayal of Harvey Dent) lend the overall performances a sense of weight and legitimacy.

Is Paycheck a waste of time? Not at all. Is it a particularly good film? Er... not exactly. Woo enthusiasts who've tolerated the director's less-than-smooth transition from Hong Kong to Hollywood will be pleased with the results, while everyone else will probably be underwhelmed and unimpressed. At the end of the day, Paycheck is entertaining crap at its finest. It isn't nearly as maddening or disappointing as more pretentious sci-fi drivel currently making the rounds (I'm looking at you, Terminator: Salvation), but it also isn't as satisfying as the most intelligent action thrillers released in the last ten years. If you're willing to shut off the critical portion of your brain for two tense and twisted hours of Affleckian goodness, by all means... give it a chance. However, if the prospect of sitting back and drinking in Woo's madcap action doesn't appeal to your refined sensibilities, avoid this one at all costs.

Paycheck Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Paycheck boasts a strong and sturdy 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that handles Woo's blazing explosions and shattering glass with ease. Aside from some errant grain spiking and a surprising number of print nicks (for a 2003 production), the image is undeniably clean. As a matter of fact, I didn't detect any significant artifacting, banding, or overtly intrusive post-production nonsense (although several slight slivers of edge enhancement have been preserved from a previous mastering). The film's colors are brimming with life: primaries ooze off the screen, skintones look warm and natural, and blacks are deep and inky. More importantly, detail is crisp and delineation is revealing. A handful of tight closeups are a tad gummy -- Affleck's forehead looks as if it's been crafted from polished plastic when he receives his first memory wipe -- but definition, sharpness, and texture clarity is quite stunning. Tiny shards of gravel scatter beneath spinning tires, clipped leaves fall amidst a hail of gunfire, and droplets of water trickle down Thurman's post-shower face. All things considered, Paycheck features a competent and consistent presentation that stacks up well with the best Blu-ray transfers from the era.

Paycheck Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Paycheck's frenetic Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track falls ever-so-short of greatness, but does pack enough punch to leave a lasting impression. In spite of several ear-splitting sequences, dialogue remains crisp and intelligible. Both shouts and whispers are perfectly prioritized, convincing interior acoustics enhance the presence of each voice, and crowds can be heard chattering in the distance. Moreover, LFE output is robust and earthy (particularly during chase sequences and in regards to the film's musical score), vaulting past the weak sonics of the DVD edition to deliver a suitably weighty lossless experience. Rear speaker aggression is worth mentioning as well. While directionality is too loose for my tastes, immersive ambience dutifully populates the on-screen environments and creates a fairly enveloping soundfield. Ultimately, casual fans and audiophiles alike will be quite taken with Paycheck's TrueHD prowess. The track falters at times under close scrutiny, but should nevertheless woo most listeners with its power.

Paycheck Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Paycheck arrives on Blu-ray with the same semi-solid supplemental package that first appeared on the 2004 Collector's Edition DVD. While Paramount hasn't upgraded the video content to high definition (as they have for more notable catalog releases in the past), fans will find the various special features to be more than adequate.

• Audio Commentaries: Even though director John Woo and screenwriter Dean Georgaris deliver decent solo tracks, each one left me wishing the studio had wrangled both men into the same room for a single commentary. Woo's chat is breezy and engaging, but he drifts off topic and can be difficult to understand at times. Georgaris' by-the-numbers dissection of the story and characters is more informative, but his observations are often repetitive and obvious. Honestly, if I were given the option, I'd skip both.
• Designing the Future (SD, 18 minutes): A predictable and plodding EPK rife with talking heads and film clips. Neither candid nor engrossing, this superficial short will only appeal to diehards and completists.
• Tempting Fate (SD, 17 minutes): This concise and thrilling look at the film's stuntwork and practical effects is far more interesting than the aforementioned behind-the-scenes featurette.
• Deleted/Extended/Alternate Scenes (SD, 13 minutes): A middling collection of six cuts and an alternate ending that fail to impress. Each one was wisely trimmed from the film.

Paycheck Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I always have a good time watching Paycheck... sue me. Sure, it doesn't live up to its script's loftiest pursuits, it's too shallow for diehard sci-fi junkies, and it can't compete with the best entries in the genre, but it's still a lot of fun. Luckily, Paramount's Blu-ray release is more reliable. It features an excellent video transfer, a rousing TrueHD audio track, and a fairly well-endowed, albeit underwhelming supplemental package. My advice? Give it a rent and find out if (despite its flaws) it entertains you as much as it does me.