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Paycheck (2003)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 4.7/10
Reviews Counted: 153
Fresh: 42 | Rotten: 111

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

Average Rating: 4.5/10
Critic Reviews: 31
Fresh: 4 | Rotten: 27

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

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User Ratings: 145,585

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Movie Info

John Woo directs the sci-fi action thriller Paycheck, based on a story written by Philip K. Dick in 1953. Waking up with his short-term memory erased, engineer Michael Jennings (Ben Affleck) learns that he has been doing highly secretive work for the last three years in exchange for billions of dollars. But when he tries to get paid, he finds out that he himself had previously exchanged the money for an envelope of random clues to his life. Chased by an FBI agent (Michael C. Hall) and his old

PG-13, 1 hr. 59 min.

Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Directed By: John Woo

Written By: Dean Georgaris

In Theaters: Dec 25, 2003 Wide

On DVD: May 18, 2004

Box Office:$53.7M

Paramount Pictures

Without ever quite becoming boring, Paycheck seems to narrow into a routine pattern, and a plot that at first had nuance and the hint of a broader meaning degenerates into chases and standard action.

December 26, 2003 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle

| Comment

Mick LaSalle

San Francisco Chronicle

Top Critic

You may not buy everything about this movie, but you'll likely leave it with a smile.

December 26, 2003 Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

| Comment

Bob Townsend

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Top Critic

If a movie is going to flout, or at least bend, the laws of the universe, it at least ought to obey its own internal rules.

December 25, 2003 Comment

Michael O'Sullivan

Washington Post

Top Critic

[Woo] still has pretty much of a tin ear for American performances, so he lets Affleck doze through the starring role. The film feels as if it has no center.

December 25, 2003 Comment

Stephen Hunter

Washington Post

Top Critic

Though the premise is provocative enough, the execution feels like a host of other violent action-drenched movies.

December 25, 2003 Full Review Source: USA Today

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Claudia Puig

USA Today

Top Critic

A bloated thriller that runs out of steam long before its final interminable chase.

December 25, 2003 Full Review Source: Toronto Star

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Peter Howell

Toronto Star

Top Critic

Woo's stylish touches fall flat in this forgettable project

May 14, 2012 Full Review Source: Old School Reviews

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John A. Nesbit

Old School Reviews Source: Old School Reviews

This movie just sags, even in the action scenes.

December 27, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

It's not necessarily high brow sci-fi, but it is very accessible to the mainstream eye.

January 9, 2010 Full Review Source: 7M Pictures

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Kevin Carr

7M Pictures

This is a movie that tries to look and sound great. It can only manage a microscopic amount of both.

May 20, 2009 Full Review Source: DVD Verdict

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Bill Gibron

DVD Verdict

...where Woo takes over as an action director...from then on it's all shoot, run, fight, and chase. (Blu-ray Edition)

May 18, 2009 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis

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John J. Puccio

Movie Metropolis

Paycheck takes two hours to watch and two minutes to forget.

May 18, 2009 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis

| Comment

John J. Puccio

Movie Metropolis

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

May 17, 2009 Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews

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Peter Canavese

Groucho Reviews

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

May 11, 2009 Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com

| Comment

Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

Most of it is very predictable and so obvious and instantly draws us away from the characters because everything here feels very artificial and very staged.

April 29, 2009 Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed

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Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

For those who enjoy a ripper of a good yarn, Paycheck is good value.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile

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Urban Cinefile Critics

Urban Cinefile

Bears the mark of Woo

September 4, 2007 Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope

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Robert Roten

Laramie Movie Scope

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.

April 1, 2006 Full Review Source: Empire Magazine

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Adam Smith

Empire Magazine

There's a sense of treading water about this movie.

February 9, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out

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Derek Adams

Time Out

It's nice to know that there's a director out there who still knows how to use marquee stars and to blow stuff up real good, without resorting to CGI fakery.

December 6, 2005 Full Review Source: Film Threat

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Chris Barsanti

Film Threat

Paycheck is John Woo lite.

December 6, 2005 Full Review Source: Film Threat

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KJ Doughton

Film Threat

A mildly entertaining slice of science fiction that's anchored by some top-notch action.

July 5, 2005 Full Review Source: Bullz-Eye.com

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Jason Zingale

Bullz-Eye.com

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

April 14, 2005 Full Review Source: Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema

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Mark Pfeiffer

Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema

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Audience Reviews for Paycheck

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Another classic Philip K. Dick story is brought to the big screen only this time its been 'Woo'd'. To be very very honest this is pretty much a poor mans 'Minority Report' with a bad cast, accept for the big chinned Eckhart, why this short story has not been given the same care as 'MR' I don't know.The film plays out

April 9, 2012

Phil Hubbard

Super Reviewer

Not a fan of Ben Affleck or Uma Thurman at all but what I saw was ok. I like the twists and turns as I tried to figure out what had happened to him. At times it felt rather slow and lethargic which ruined the atmosphere. Not something I'd watch again but a good watch for anyone interested in Philip K. Dick and time travel stories.

October 29, 2011

Sophie Burgess

Super Reviewer

Paycheck Quotes

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1. Michael Jennings: If you only look where you can't go, you might just miss the riches below.
– Submitted by Simon H (12 months ago)

Character	Quote
	Enter quote here...	Delete

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