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Mel Gibson stars in this gritty crime/action story about a professional robber left for dead by his jilting wife only to return and seek revenge. Based on Donald E. Westlake's novel The Hunter (the first in the legendary Parker novel series) and scripted and directed by Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential), Payback brings film noir to its original level, surpassing the violence-soaked mayhem of Tarantino and his lackies and bringing us back to the basics established by the likes of pulp writers Raymond Chandler and Dashielle Hammett. Little wonder, considering Westlake's writing and influences. Greater wonder, perhaps, that it's taken so long to catch on with today's audience.
Gibson is Porter, a lean slice of meat who is betrayed by his wife (Deborah Unger) and partner Val Resnick (Gregg Henry) over a $140,000 hit against the Chinese mafia. Porter survives and returns to New York City, seeking revenge, but also, more importantly, his share of the $140,000 which Resnick has used to buy his way back into the Outfit. Enlisting the help of his former girlfriend Rosie (Maria Bello), Porter goes up against Resnick, the Outfit, the Chinese, a sexy dominatrix (Lucy Liu), and an ambitious Outfit flunky (David Paymer) with the same levelheaded hardness. He's not a witty daredevil per se (Lethal Weapon), and he's definitely not heroic (Braveheart). He's just hard as nails, going after what he wants without giving a shit about what happens to anyone as a result. Including himself.
Gibson's performance is stellar. He can lay guys twice his size flat on the ground, and he can menace hapless civilians in five seconds flat without even using a gun. At one point, while trying to track down an old hooker girlfriend, he slams a bar divider over the fingers of a bartender dumb enough to try to conduct their conversation civilly. Even his name is tough and anonymous. But without Gibson pulling the strings, it would come off as nothing short of cliched. Porter deals with the most outrageous of situations with the same wooden face, and his voice, a low, gravelly Bogartesque stereotype, convinces us that he's less of a human than he is a shark, swimming relentlessly through the urban waters of organized crime. "Not many men know what their life is worth," he tells us in a voiceover while a drunken doctor pulls his wife's bullets out of his back. "I do. Seventy grand. That's what they stole from me. And that's what I was going to get back." No Dirty Harry bravado here--for Porter, a statement of the facts is all the edge he needs.
Supplementary performances are equally effective, particularly those by Paymer (who, if he ever gives up acting, will be recognized for the Hollywood staple that he is) and Henry, especially considering how their reactions play off Gibson's lack of reaction in key scenes. But even all of this would not be enough were it not for cinematographer Ericson Core's striking portrayal of New York itself. Colors are muted and everything, people, buildings and streets, has a gritty feel to it. The film works hard to make itself an undated piece of work: all phones are rotary, and interiors look likes sets from The Big Sleep even as hand-held radios are used to do security checks.
Payback has been attacked for being chauvinistic, racist towards Asians, misogynistic and overly violent. Far be it for me to dispute any of these claims, but at the same time, to understand the film's function, the anti-hero genre has to be kept in mind. Porter is not supposed to be the "good guy," and if you don't want to take my word for it, consider the film's tagline "Get ready to root for the bad guy." Westlake is following the hard-boiled genre which, despite its checkered past, mandates entertainment, and delivers entertainment. Period. Payback has its fair share of violence (including toes being broken with a hammer one by one), but as I said, it's fairly low key, with a minimum of the blood and guts used to evoke disquiet in films such as Reservoir Dogs and without taking a predominant role in the film's progression. Here, the focus is on a story that moves the characters to new lengths, forces them to undergo engrossing conflicts and battles. Here is a movie that will make you believe being a man means taking what you want and shooting everyone who doesn't comply, but it's a small price to pay for wallowing in the brutal sense of justice and satisfaction that it delivers. And if you don't agree, I'll blow your goddamned head off.
--Long
Copyright 2002 Tso Long Productions ©