Memorable, crazy movie

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Lucy Liu was so f****n sexy in this movie with all that BDSM stuff...all the comic stuff its cool..Mel Gibson was not so unbeatable in this movie as it looked..like Bruce Willis for example..or Steven Seagal, Gregg Henry its a mean bad-ass , bottom line ..a good action flick , you must see. not away from the action pattern movie, some brutal stuff and a evil image of the police, corruption ...seen in all the American movies, really the mob control a city in the us? is that so bad? or its just a movie..but i am sure its inspired from the reality..its not a fiction..or a sci-fi. Finally, a good revenge movie starring Mel Gibson.

Mel Gibson ditches his nice guy image and returns to his psychotic roots (as seen in the MAD MAX films) by playing a criminal with no redeeming features whatsoever. At least, that's the idea. However Gibson's charm and warmth still shine through with his character, so that you can't help rooting for him even if he is the anti-hero. Gibson's trademark smile and wisecracks are in full use here, even if he does employ them when killing people.PAYBACK is an extremely distinctive movie, mainly due to the film noir-ish style of the cinematography. The setting is a dingy, grimy city, mostly filmed in shades of grey and brown, where lowlife seethes everywhere. Nobody in the film is a good character, and even the female love interest is a prostitute. This makes the film feel like a '40s Philip Marlowe crime thriller, which it partly is, but the excessive violence make it something much, much more.The plot, of revenge and double crossing is nothing new, but the twists and spins given to this tale are refreshing and interesting, mainly in the ways in which Gibson outwits the various characters opposing him. There's delight to be had in the way in which Gibson blows up cars, buildings, sets up crooked policeman, and calmly, offhandedly blasts away the bad guys when they won't give him the money. Added into the brew is a much needed level of black humour, my favourite type of comedy, so there's a lot to smile and laugh at too.The cast is top notch, partly the reason why the film is so great. Gibson spends most of the film either beating people up or getting beaten up, but his charisma still shines through (even if he is looking pretty old these days). The female lead is also very good, likable yet realistically human in her role, something lacking from many films these days where the female leads (such as the one in GODZILLA) are annoyingly bubble headed and picked for their looks only. The bad guys are mainly distinguished actors. William Devane is excellent as a laid-back crime boss, while James Coburn steals his scenes as Devane's expensively-dressed, lavishly-attired globetrotting partner. Kris Kristofferson is also effective in his role as the head criminal, he's used to playing villains by now and so he fits the role like a glove. The rest of the actors and actresses are also memorable in their roles, I can't think of one person who stuck out like a sore thumb. Everyone surpasses themselves in this film.The violence level is high, which led to some criticism, but there will always be critics no matter what. There are the expected shoot outs and explosions, all staged with panache and style, and some graphic torture scenes involving a hammer and Gibson's toes (very reminiscent of the torture in MISERY). Other good moments involve Gibson ripping out a punk's nose ring, shooting a car full of people from underneath, and of course outsmarting about a hundred and one bad guys. PAYBACK is a great film, one of the best blockbusters that I've seen in recent years, and can easily stand up to repeated viewing.

From what I have heard the general release cut some of the best stuff (as being to violent towards a woman (she deserved it), and added a third act and narrator, that it did not need. The director was forces out, in a way, because he did not cave in. I am glad to see his original work. It was excellent. And I am a women. This sight lol sight is telling me I have not written enough lines which is ironic, because the Director's cut was though to be to short. What else can I say? There was a lot of smoking which is always fun. Yes, I just added in the tile that Banchee owes a lot to this cut, as does Cable TV in general. When the studios released this, Cable TV had not made the great influence that we have now. And FX of course.

After being reminded how good an actor Mel Gibson is in Expendables 3, I have decided to revisit some of his earlier work. I started with 1999's Payback. And I chose to watch the theatrical release, rather than the directors cut.When Porter (Mel Gibson) is doubled crossed and left for dead by his wife Rosie (Deborah Kara Unger) and partner in crime Val (Gregg Henry) he does not take it to well, and is after revenge.It opens like a Clint Eastwood cop movie of the late 70's or early 80's, as red credits appear to a jazz score as we see a view of the City from a helicopter. Mel Gibson was riding high at the Box Office in 1999, "Lethal Weapon 4" and "Conspiracy Theory" both opened at No 1, and made over $100 million World Wide, while "Ransom" was the 5th highest-grossing film of 1996 in the United States, and he picked up the Oscar for Best Director and Best Movie for 1995's "Braveheart". Henry is well cast as the sleazy, slimy, bully Val, David Paymer, Bill Duke, James Coburn and Kris Kristopherson all have good supporting roles, but it is Lucy Lui (appearing as Lucy Alexis Liu) that steals the movie as the violent dominatrix Pearl. Then there is Mel Gibson, he is the star and simply the core of the movie. The movie simply would not work with a lesser actor as the anti hero Porter. He would only act for a few more years as the lead in movies after this one, before a seven year beak between 2003-2010. One can't help but wonder what other wonderful films we may have missed out on. Gibson is truly a great actor, and hopefully he can sort his personal problems and demons out, because as we all know Hollywood loves comebacks.A solid movie with Gibson bringing his A game.