Rotten Tomatoes
Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Paycheck

Play trailer 2:25 Poster for Paycheck PG-13 2003 1h 59m Sci-Fi Action Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
27% Tomatometer 151 Reviews 45% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
Michael Jennings is a top-notch reverse engineer. Corporations pay him to crack the secrets of their competitors' products. When the job is done, he has his memory of it erased. Rethrick, head of a company called Allcom, hires Jennings to reverse-engineer a secret government device. After the job, Jennings wakes from the memory erasure to find himself being chased by various agencies. He soon realizes that the fate of the entire world may be in his hands.
Watch on Fandango Stream Now

Where to Watch

Paycheck

Paycheck

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Though Dick's short story has an intriguing premise, Woo reduces it to a lot of meaningless chases, shoot-outs, and explosions.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Neil Norman London Evening Standard 01/11/2018
A rubbish script, terrible acting from all concerned -- including, I regret to say, Uma Thurman -- and Woo's action histrionics uneasily confined to science lab interiors, all conspire to produce a movie of utter redundancy. Go to Full Review Nell Minow Common Sense Media 12/27/2010
2/5
This movie just sags, even in the action scenes. Go to Full Review Adam Smith Empire Magazine 04/01/2006
3/5
Some remedial script work is in need, and the characters are far from compelling. But the action is up to scratch and it rattles happily along. Go to Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews 05/18/2025
2.5/4
...an overly slick and mostly mindless actioner... Go to Full Review Kathi Maio The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction 02/28/2020
Ben can't, however, make Paycheck into the good movie it might have been. That would have required a director more interested in ideas and less interested in things that go boom... Go to Full Review John A. Nesbit Old School Reviews 05/14/2012
C-
Woo's stylish touches fall flat in this forgettable project Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Cinema S @cinema_sensei Aug 7 The concept is easily the film’s biggest strength. The idea of seeing your own future through a mysterious set of clues is genuinely intriguing, and the fast pace keeps the mystery moving. It doesn’t reach the full potential of its premise, and the execution can feel predictable at times, but it remains an entertaining sci-fi thriller from start to finish. See more Chris S @Janomi Jul 20 Paycheck is good because the Philip K. Dick premise is strong. A man willingly has his memory erased after a secret job, then discovers that the random items he left behind are actually clues to survive the future. That "ordinary objects as breadcrumbs" idea gives the movie a fun puzzle-box structure. Ben Affleck works well enough as Michael Jennings, playing him as smart but vulnerable, confused, hunted, and forced to trust a version of himself he no longer remembers. John Woo’s action direction also keeps the movie moving, with chases, shootouts, slow-motion touches, and early-2000s sci-fi/action energy. The mystery is best when Jennings is figuring out how each object matters. The problem is that the premise is stronger than the execution. The ideas about memory, fate, free will, and identity could have been deeper, but the movie often becomes a standard chase thriller. It is entertaining, but more mechanical than thrilling. See more Adam G @Adam71 Apr 28 Too far fetched - Affleck is basically James Bond / Jason Bourne but without any training - too much packed into one movie. See more M G @gennuso Feb 11 it's entertaining. Not bad See more robby m @Robbymack 07/24/2025 The critics' consensus is spot-on See more Guillaume D @RT08210295 07/18/2025 Hey, a 90's movie I didn't know! With Uma and, well, Affleck. Might be fun watching! Well, I laughed a few times. Not because it was funny, but because of... everything. Acting, scenario, action scenes, dialogs,everything is just as bas as can be. Ben played in quite many bad flicks; but how could Uma get dragged in this? Time waster. See more Read all reviews
Paycheck

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING

Cast & Crew

View All

John Woo

Director

Ben Affleck

Michael Jennings

Aaron Eckhart

Rethrick

Uma Thurman

Rachel Porter

Paul Giamatti

Shorty

Colm Feore

Mr. Wolf

Movie Clips

View All

Paycheck

Paycheck: Official Clip - Motorcycle Chase Paycheck: Official Clip - Motorcycle Chase 2:06 Paycheck: Official Clip - Bus Station Chase Paycheck: Official Clip - Bus Station Chase 1:40 Paycheck: Official Clip - Laboratory Beatdown Paycheck: Official Clip - Laboratory Beatdown 2:59 Paycheck: Official Clip - I Sold My Shares? Paycheck: Official Clip - I Sold My Shares? 2:24 Paycheck: Official Clip - Fight the Future Paycheck: Official Clip - Fight the Future 2:44 Paycheck: Official Clip - Train Tracks Confrontation Paycheck: Official Clip - Train Tracks Confrontation 2:57 Paycheck: Official Clip - Mental Extraction Paycheck: Official Clip - Mental Extraction 2:37 Paycheck: Official Clip - The Reverse-Engineer Paycheck: Official Clip - The Reverse-Engineer 2:22 Paycheck: Official Clip - Bus Station Shootout Paycheck: Official Clip - Bus Station Shootout 2:46 Paycheck: Official Clip - Shipyard Chase Paycheck: Official Clip - Shipyard Chase 2:56 View more videos

More Like This

View All
Déjà Vu 55% 73% Déjà Vu Watchlist Inception 86% 91% Inception Watchlist TRAILER for Inception Source Code 92% 82% Source Code Watchlist Push 23% 42% Push Watchlist Skyline 15% 18% Skyline Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All

Paycheck

Paycheck: Trailer 1 Paycheck: Trailer 1 2:25 View more videos
View All

Paycheck

Paycheck (2003) Aaron Eckhart as Rethrick and Uma Thurman as Rachel in "Paycheck." (Left to right) Ben Affleck as Jennings and Paul Giamatti as Shorty in "Paycheck." (Left to right) Ben Affleck as Jennings, Colm Feore as Wolfe and Aaron Eckhart as Rethrick in "Paycheck." ) Ben Affleck as Jennings and Uma Thurman as Rachel in "Paycheck." Aaron Eckhart as Rethrick in "Paycheck." Director John Woo on the set of "Paycheck." Ben Affleck as Jennings in "Paycheck." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Michael Jennings is a top-notch reverse engineer. Corporations pay him to crack the secrets of their competitors' products. When the job is done, he has his memory of it erased. Rethrick, head of a company called Allcom, hires Jennings to reverse-engineer a secret government device. After the job, Jennings wakes from the memory erasure to find himself being chased by various agencies. He soon realizes that the fate of the entire world may be in his hands.
Director
John Woo
Producer
John Woo, John Davis, Terence Chang, Michael Hackett
Screenwriter
Dean Georgaris
Distributor
Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks SKG
Production Co
Solomon/Hackett Productions, Davis Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, Frantic Films, Lion Rock Productions
Rating
PG-13 (Intense Action Violence|Brief Language)
Genre
Sci-Fi, Action, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 25, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$53.8M
Runtime
1h 59m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR, DTS, Surround
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
Join The Newsletter Join The Newsletter Cookie Settings