Wynter
24-08-2008, 05:35 PM
I remember watching Payback at the cinema when it first came out - it was the first time that I thought there might be something wrong with Mel Gibson.
Following Braveheart, Ransom and Conspiracy Theory it began to dawn on me that he might have a slight masochistic bent. Payback was a violent, glib and quite unpleasant movie and it came as no surprise to learn that Gibson changed about a third of the film to appease studio sensibilities and that Helgeland had left the project. So what is Payback - Straight Up? As it is actually a shorter film than the theatrical version it might me more appropriate to start by looking at what it isn't...
Gone is the blue tint, the voice over, the drunken doctor, the toe smashy, Kris Kristofferson and the dog's happy ending. What you have instead is a decent (still not great) genre film more in-tune with the seventies feel intended by the director - the violence remains but the glibness has gone leaving PSU hardened instead of merely unpleasant. In addition to this new tone we have an extended and more brutal encounter with Mrs Porter (plus a new moment hear and there), a streamlined third act and a more colourfull print.
There are still some problems here. The 'straight up' (i.e. stripped down) approach leaves a slight compassion gap. John Boorman compensated for this by dragging us into Point Blank with a dreamlike structure, Helgeland has no such hook. Also jarring is Gregg Henry's Val. With uninteresting S&M scenes taking the place of actual character this bad guy comes of as a concept rather than a credible foe for Gibson's Terminator-ish Porter.
PSU ain't a perfect crime thriller but it is still an effective movie and a massive improvement on the theatrical version.
DVD extras: This is a really good package...
The Hunter: A Conversation with Author Donald E. Westlake
The author talks about his use of the Richard Stark pen name, the Parker character, and the various films made of his work (Point Blank, The Outfit - what worked what didn't etc).
Paybacks are a Bitch: On Location In Chicago / On Set In Los Angeles
Okay so the Los Angeles segment does descend into the usual backslapping but this is an informative 'making of' with plenty of interesting information about the film itself and Helgeland's experience of being a first time director. There are new interviews with all the major players plus Helgeland's mentor Richard Donner.
Same Story, Different Movie - Creating Payback: The Director's Cut
A look at the difference between the two films and how they came to be. Possibly the best of all the special features, SS, DM brings together most of the major players to show why certain decisions were made. Most pleasing is the participation of Gibson (mad civil war beard included) who speaks candidly about what he did and didn't like and how he 'rectified' it.
Commentary by Writer/Director Brian Helgeland
As you can guess I'm a bit PSU'd out at the moment so I'm gonna leave this for another time.
...oh and my one big quibble with this package is the omission of the Theatrical Version.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PW4nskTOL._SS500_.jpg
Amazon.co.uk (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Payback-Straight-Directors-REGION-NTSC/dp/B000M3439O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1219595209&sr=8-1)
Following Braveheart, Ransom and Conspiracy Theory it began to dawn on me that he might have a slight masochistic bent. Payback was a violent, glib and quite unpleasant movie and it came as no surprise to learn that Gibson changed about a third of the film to appease studio sensibilities and that Helgeland had left the project. So what is Payback - Straight Up? As it is actually a shorter film than the theatrical version it might me more appropriate to start by looking at what it isn't...
Gone is the blue tint, the voice over, the drunken doctor, the toe smashy, Kris Kristofferson and the dog's happy ending. What you have instead is a decent (still not great) genre film more in-tune with the seventies feel intended by the director - the violence remains but the glibness has gone leaving PSU hardened instead of merely unpleasant. In addition to this new tone we have an extended and more brutal encounter with Mrs Porter (plus a new moment hear and there), a streamlined third act and a more colourfull print.
There are still some problems here. The 'straight up' (i.e. stripped down) approach leaves a slight compassion gap. John Boorman compensated for this by dragging us into Point Blank with a dreamlike structure, Helgeland has no such hook. Also jarring is Gregg Henry's Val. With uninteresting S&M scenes taking the place of actual character this bad guy comes of as a concept rather than a credible foe for Gibson's Terminator-ish Porter.
PSU ain't a perfect crime thriller but it is still an effective movie and a massive improvement on the theatrical version.
DVD extras: This is a really good package...
The Hunter: A Conversation with Author Donald E. Westlake
The author talks about his use of the Richard Stark pen name, the Parker character, and the various films made of his work (Point Blank, The Outfit - what worked what didn't etc).
Paybacks are a Bitch: On Location In Chicago / On Set In Los Angeles
Okay so the Los Angeles segment does descend into the usual backslapping but this is an informative 'making of' with plenty of interesting information about the film itself and Helgeland's experience of being a first time director. There are new interviews with all the major players plus Helgeland's mentor Richard Donner.
Same Story, Different Movie - Creating Payback: The Director's Cut
A look at the difference between the two films and how they came to be. Possibly the best of all the special features, SS, DM brings together most of the major players to show why certain decisions were made. Most pleasing is the participation of Gibson (mad civil war beard included) who speaks candidly about what he did and didn't like and how he 'rectified' it.
Commentary by Writer/Director Brian Helgeland
As you can guess I'm a bit PSU'd out at the moment so I'm gonna leave this for another time.
...oh and my one big quibble with this package is the omission of the Theatrical Version.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PW4nskTOL._SS500_.jpg
Amazon.co.uk (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Payback-Straight-Directors-REGION-NTSC/dp/B000M3439O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1219595209&sr=8-1)