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Movies / On DVD / Paycheck
Paycheck

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Paycheck (2003)

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27 %
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Reviews Counted: 138

Fresh: 37

Rotten:101

Average Rating: 4.7/10

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

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for intense action violence and brief language

Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Theatrical Release:Dec 25, 2003 Wide

Box Office: $53,681,119

Synopsis: Adapted from a mind-bending sci-fi thriller by Philip K. Dick, the slick and riveting PAYCHECK is directed by John Woo (THE KILLER, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE II)--the king of artful gunfighting... Adapted from a mind-bending sci-fi thriller by Philip K. Dick, the slick and riveting PAYCHECK is directed by John Woo (THE KILLER, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE II)--the king of artful gunfighting flicks--who shows off his agility here with flat-out, white-knuckle cinematic entertainment. Michael Jennings (Ben Affleck) is a high-paid engineer who works on hush-hush computer inventions and technology for shady companies. Later, his memory is wiped clean, so he has no recollection of his work. His so-called friend Rethrick (Aaron Eckhardt, the master of smarmy mean-spiritedness, as in IN THE COMPANY OF MEN) offers him enough money to retire by working on a project at Rethrick's company, Allcom. When Jennings emerges three years later, sans memory, he tries to collect his paycheck. At the bank, he's handed a manila envelope filled with cryptic items he doesn't recognize, and told he voluntarily forfeited his entire paycheck. He also has a stunning girlfriend named Dr. Rachel Porter (Uma Thurman) who is likewise ensnared in the conspiracy. Jennings must somehow piece together the clues he left for himself, and find out why everyone is out to kill him. As usual, Dick's story is the basis for a killer script that travels from point A to Z with gripping immediacy. The clues left for Jennings are amusing writerly devices, intricately pieced together. Woo clearly enjoyed choreographing the wild gunfighting and chase sequences (slo-mo bullets aplenty), sending Affleck and Thurman on the run with a BMW motorcycle. [More]

Starring: Ben Affleck, Aaron Eckhart, Uma Thurman, Paul Giamatti

Starring: Ben Affleck, Aaron Eckhart, Uma Thurman, Paul Giamatti, Colm Feore, John Morton, Michael C. Hall

Director: John Woo

Director: John Woo
Screenwriter: Dean Georgaris
Producer: John Davis, Michael Hackett, John Woo, Terence Chang
Composer: John Powell
Studio: Paramount Pictures

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Release:

May 19, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 

Blu-ray Disc Features:

  • Region [unknown]
  • NTSC
  • Keep Case
  • Special Edition
  • Widescreen

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital EX 5.1, Dolby True HD 5.1 - English, French, Spanish
  • Dubbed, Subtitles - French, Spanish
  • Subtitles - English, French, Portuguese, Spanish

Additional Release Material:

  • Extended/Deleted Scenes

Audio Commentary:

  • 1. John Woo - Director
  • 2. Dean Georgaris - Screenwriter

Featurette:

  • 1. PAYCHECK: DESIGNING THE FUTURE
  • 2. TEMPTING FATE: THE STUNTS OF PAYCHECK

Interactive Features:

  • Scene Access
  • Interactive Menus
 
 
 
 

Reviews for Paycheck

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Paycheck takes two hours to watch and two minutes to forget.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
05/18/09
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

Playful but inconsequential...the interpretation of Dick's intriguing concept is a street which mostly just dead-ends into noisy silliness. [Blu-ray]

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
05/17/09
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

"Paycheck" is a no-brainer action movie with just enough sci-fi thematic input to keep it spicy.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
05/11/09
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/18/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Derek Adams
Time Out

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/21/05
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The film discards serious discussion for Mexican standoffs and action scenes, trading the possibility of complex rewards for simple pleasures.

Full Review Source: Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema | comment Comment
04/14/05
Mark Pfeiffer
Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
03/14/05
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons

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Full Review Source: NYC Film Critic | comment Comment
03/05/05
Ethan Alter
NYC Film Critic

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Full Review Source: tonymedley.com | comment Comment
10/07/04
Tony Medley
tonymedley.com

There is enough left of the original idea in the movie to recommend it, just barely.

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
08/23/04
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

Ben Affleck is one of the blandest actors vying for Hollywood’s action movie crown now that Harrison Ford is on pension . . .

Full Review Source: Sci-Fi Movie Page | comment Comment
06/29/04
James O'Ehley
Sci-Fi Movie Page

Clearly, the whole cast was here simply to collect – yes, you guessed it – a pay cheque.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
06/25/04
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

The characters are charismatic, the action sequences strong and the plot — adapted from a Philip K. Dick story — better than average.

Full Review Source: Reno Gazette-Journal | comment Comment
05/21/04
Forrest Hartman
Reno Gazette-Journal
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
04/09/04
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

John Woo delivers some fun thrills in an otherwise lackluster action pic.

Full Review Source: IGN Movies | comment Comment
04/07/04
Jeff Otto
IGN Movies
 
 
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Latest News for Paycheck

August 31, 2006: A Taste of What's "Next" for Nicolas Cage
Any time I hear the phrase "movie based on a Philip K. Dick story," I know I have to do a little more research. The next PKD adaptation is Lee Tamahori's... More...

August 08, 2006: Paul Giamatti to Star as Philip K. Dick
He night not be as famous as H.G. Wells or Isaac Asimov, but ask a sci-fi enthusiast what they think of Philip K. Dick, and get ready for a lengthy conversation. The late and... More...

November 08, 2005: Nic Cage & Julianne Moore Will Do Sci-Fi Action Flick "Next"
Variety reports that Nicolas Cage and Julianne Moore will star in Revolution's "Next," which is a sci-fi action project based on a story by genre giant Philip K. Dick. More...

July 08, 2005: Trailer Bulletin: The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Head on over to the film's official site for your first look at the trailer to "The Exorcism of Emily Rose." The supernatural horror flick is directed by Scott... More...

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