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Actors: Mel Gibson, Kris Kristofferson, Gregg Henry, Maria Bello, Lucy Liu
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Payback |
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Tough-as-nails crook Porter (Mel Gibson) arrives in the big, bad city with nothing but the clothes on his back. By the end of his first day, he has a new suit, $500 in cash, and a .357 magnum.
But Porter isn't here to make a quick buck. A few months ago, his partner, Val Resnick (Gregg Henry), double-crossed him, stealing both Porter's share of a $140,000 score and Porter's wife (Deborah Kara Unger), and leaving Porter lying in a pool of his own blood.
Finding Val isn't all that tough, despite the interference of the hood's dominatrix girlfriend (Lucy Liu), a band of vengeful Chinese gangsters, a drug-dealing cab dispatcher (David Paymer), and a pair of dirty cops (Bill Duke and Jack Conley). Finding the money is a whole other matter, though, as it turns out Val has turned the money over to the Outfit, a shadowy criminal consortium.
Now, with the help of Rosie (Maria Bello), an Outfit-connected hooker, Porter goes to war with the Mob, as personified by a pair of high-class gang lords (William Devane and James Coburn). When that fails to work, he kidnaps the son (Trevor St. John) of Mr. Bronson (Kris Kristofferson), the Outfit's boss of all bosses.
--James Craver, Resident Scholar
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A criminal, Porter, and his buddy pull off a job. Porter is then betrayed, robbed, and left for dead. Porter then returns to exact revenge. He has to deal with gangsters, criminals, and crooked cops to get his share of the money. He then tries to outwit and kill them all.
--Jack Bauer, Resident Scholar
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Porter (Mel Gibson) is shot and left for dead by his partner and wife after a heist. They take off with his $70,000 but make the mistake of not making certain he was dead. After he recuperates he's on a mission to get revenge and to get his money back. Only people think he wants more back then he wants. All he wants is his cut, then he'll be on his way. He enlists the help of a call girl, an ex lover of his, and they set about scheming to get the money, including kidnapping a crime boss' son, killing another crime boss and going head to head with the Asian mafia. This movie is full of stars, action and one liners that'll make you chuckle all the way through.
--Brandy Todd, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of Payback |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Movie
Actual chase scenes or violence - 40%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
Time/Era of Movie:
- present (2000-2010)
Crime & Police Story?
Yes
Crime story:
- vigilante hunting down criminal(s)
Criminal enemy is...
- law enforcement gone bad
- gang conflict
- Asian crime gangs
If this is a criminal POV story...
- criminals killing each other
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- criminal
Age:
- 20's-30's
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Hair color
- blonde
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- a criminal organization
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 60%
Setting
United States
Yes
City?
Yes
City:
- Dirty, grimy (like New York)
Misc setting
- fancy mansion
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately messy visuals of dead
Movie makes you feel...
- excited
How many deaths in film?
- dozens
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- kissing
Kind of violence:
- guns
Unusual forms of death
- perforation--bullets
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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