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Payback Customer Reviews (13 - 15 of 32 Reviews)

A Brilliant Story About Organizations, Individuals and Power
James McCargar said that "any organized society is intolerant of those who set themselves apart from the prevailing norms. [Those who do] are skeptical of [society's] ideals, of its morals and interests; they arrogate to themselves the right to reject the established code and to live by their own. It is human nature to resent such independence, even arrogance." But what if all of your story's characters exist apart from society? Who, then, is resented for rejecting the established code and living by their own?

The beauty of `Payback' is the beneath-the-surface story that exists apart from the Gibson-narrated revenge tale filmed through a blue lens. The story is about the individual against the organization; about belonging and not belonging. When Gregg Henry's character [Val Resnick] seeks help from the criminal syndicate of which he is a part, he is told "the organization needs men that are tough and self-reliant." It is a wonderful paradox. Men who are `tough and self-reliant' have no need of organizations. Porter [Gibson], the protagonist is a man possessing both virtues, evidenced by his actions in the first three minutes of the film. If the organization (the `Outfit') needs anyone, it needs someone like Porter. But Porter never belonged to it, never wanted to belong to it, and now finds himself opposed to the interests of this criminal syndicate.

Compare Porter to Val Resnick, the man who betrays the anti-hero protagonist and attempts to have him killed. Resnick is neither tough nor self-reliant. "Do you know your value to the organization, Resnick?" asks Mr. Carter. "You're a sadist. You lack compunction. That comes in handy." Resnick "wouldn't last two minutes out on the street without [The Outfit]" comments Mr. Carter, after Resnick has been cut loose.

We are contemptuous of Resnick and admiring of Porter. Why? Resnick belongs, doesn't he? In fact, he's a member of organized crime. Americans of every stripe long have fantasized of being `connected,' of being `made.' Witness the popularity of `The Soprano's,' `Goodfellas,' `Casino,' `The Godfather.' Perhaps The Outfit is not admired because the portrayal of organized crime in `Payback' is different. The men may be every bit as tough, but they're also corporate. Mr. Carter is every bit the white-collar senior executive. To Resnick he quips "helping you is--in a way--protecting [our] investment, and that is always good business policy."

Do we admire Porter because we find his battle against The Outfit satirical? Porter is the blue collar guy (a porter) who rebels against his corporate overlords, seeking what's rightfully his. They, in turn, are mystified that he wants only what's due him. Such small stakes, it seems. Porter can kill these men without stigma. Despite the seemingly bureaucratic world in which they operate, they are criminal actors, after all. We resent such independence, such arrogance. Well, except for Porter.

Two wrongs, it seems, do make a right-at least in a motion-picture. Porter neatly escapes; tough, self-reliant, and more clever than his opponents. How is this? The answer is found ten minutes and forty seconds into the film, in the form of four letters. Porter once belonged to an organization. One a lot older than The Outfit, and one that undoubtedly taught him a few things about organizations. More importantly, it taught him about himself.

Those four letters? They're tattooed on his right arm.


Good performances, good action, but not a spectacular effort
To quickly summarise the plot, the main character Porter (Mel Gibson) is shot by his friend and his wife and left for dead. This is after stealing money from some Triads. The rest of the movie involves Porter trying to get his money back ($70 000). Naturally, some people need to be shot, blown up, beat up, etc. for this to happen. Because Porter is a thief and a killer, the movie has a dark, anti-hero kind of tone. Adding to the atmosphere is the fact that everyone wears black or grey, there always seems to be steam coming up from the sewers, and the building are all drab and dirty.

I enjoyed this movie, and was struck by the quality of the performances, and the fact that a lot of big names are involved. Of special note are Kris Kristofferson and James Coburn as two of the bad guys, and Lucy Lui as a dominatrix and member of the Triads (even when dressed in leather bikini and fishnet stockings, you had to take her more seriously than in Charlie's Angels). In addition, suberb performances are put forward by Mel and Maria Bello (why, oh why would she associate herself with Coyote Ugly?!). The action scenes are well done, and unlike the Lethal Weapon movies, the abuse that Mel's body survives is almost believable. It is also quite funny, in a wry, ironic way (like when Coburn's character complains that Mel shot a hole in his suits - "That's just mean!").

However, there's nothing really special about the film. It's just a bunch of stuff that happens, and it doens't really stand out in my mind over other action movies of the same sort. In addition, the DVD edition is very disappointing. There are no extras (except the trailers, and a "Making of" featurette that's nothing more than a glorified trailer), no director's commentary, etc. Very low value for the money - just get the tape for 1/3 the price.

Weeellll...
...I am a rather emphatic Mel Gibson fan. But, I think this movie could have been better if Mel had just been a little more trusting in the moviegoing public, and gone the whole nine yards with the ruthlessness of his character. Perfect example: Stegman: "You're not gonna kill me, are ya?" Porter: "Well, not in front of these kids." WHAT??? The character I know, Parker from the Westlake novels; Parker, the ruthless ice-cold professional embodied by Lee Marvin in "Point Blank"; he would've bitchslapped Porter for even thinking "Not-in-front-of-these-kids" and kicked him to the curb. Unnecessary heroism aside, this a pretty good movie, with Mel as the irrepressible, slightly off-center goofball he's played in all his crowd-pleasers, but tightened up a notch here. Aside from him, the other main strength is the great ensemble: James Coburn, David Paymer, Bill Duke, Kris Kristofferson, Maria Bello, and Bill Devane. Also, from personal experience, it's a great compromise for the Saturday movie nights when you and your girlfriend can't agree on what to watch. This flick has something for each of you: Mel Gibson in a romantic subplot for her; Mel Gibson, goofy laughs, and mind-numbing violence for you! Perfect!

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