A Tough But Unoriginal

Turn In ‘Payback’

Opening this weekend at Edmond Town Hall is The Thomas Crown Affair, which was reviewed in this column back in August. Moviegoers get a second chance to watch Pierce Brosnan in a dashing yet different portrayal than his Bond persona, and see Rene Russo in what was billed as her “breakout” (potentially Oscar-worthy?) role. Yet, perhaps most interestingly, film fans get a chance to do an intriguing double-bill by renting the original, ’60s version, starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway, and then taking in the ’99 flick over at Newtown. (Personally, I prefer the new version — it’s much more romantic — but deciding for yourself is half the fun!) Such a compare/contrast may get your juices flowing for another double-bill that matches films from the two decades of the ‘60s and ‘90s. If so, then you may be ready for the big Payback. (All apologies to James Brown!)

Payback arrived in theatres early this year to some hefty box office numbers and is now ensconced among the top ten video rentals in the country. It is an admittedly entertaining film that also revels a bit too uncomfortably in its own seediness. After all, this is a thriller in which the protagonist, simply named Porter (Mel Gibson), is a professional thief who was left for dead by his wife (Deborah Kara Unger) and sadistic pal Val (Gregg Henry), who double-crossed him, shot him five times, and took off with the $140,000 the trio had agreed to divide. Now Porter’s exclusive ambition is to regain the $70,000 he feels he’s owed, and the early moments of the film — which include him stealing change from a blind beggar, refusing to tip a waitress, ripping a nose ring out of the nostrils of a young drug dealer, and viciously smashing the hand of an officious bartender — seek to indubitably prove he’s not a nice guy.

Yet director Brian Helgeland (who penned the Gibson-Julia Roberts paring Conspiracy Theory, and co-wrote L.A. Confidential) seems to underestimate the boundless effervescence of his star. Gibson, a charismatic actor of underrated range, may have met his match in this role as a distant criminal, but this only becomes apparent once one views Point Blank, the 1967 film which Payback upgrades. (Both, in turn, are based upon a 1962 crime novel credited to Richard Stark.)

Starring Lee Marvin and directed by John Boorman, Point Blank follows the forbidding path of Walker (Marvin), a man left for dead by his two-timing wife and betraying best friend. Having been scuttled by the two people closest to him, Walker becomes a soulless automaton whose sole intent may not be to regain the money he claims to crave. When he indifferently uses his sister-in-law (Angie Dickinson) as bait to snare his former pal, she declares, “You died… all right.” He is a husk of his former self, propelled only by his need, not really for money, but for revenge. Marvin stalks through the film effectively with very little dialogue, and the silent insistence of his mission, marked by the foreboding sound of his driving, relentless footsteps, sets this film apart.

Comparatively, Gibson, even in a more depraved role than we’re accustomed to seeing from him, seems too rascally and likeable for his own good… or, rather, for the good of the character. Upon reflection, it appears intentional the producers of Payback made sure Gibson didn’t stray too far down the villainous path. Though, as Porter, he is guilty of a number of thoughtless, cruel acts, he ultimately is still the most redeemable character in a film populated by crooked cops, cowardly criminals, callous crime bosses, over-the-top S&M lovers, and torturous lackeys. The film’s tag line, “Get ready to root for the bad guy,” is indicative of where the film finally ends up. Instead of being a complete departure for Gibson, Payback, rated R for language and strong violence, ends up with him doing what amounts to a darker turn on his Lethal Weapon character, Detective Martin Riggs. When compared to Lee Marvin’s take on the same role, Gibson in Payback ends up looking more like Riggs’ sane yet criminal half-brother instead of a dark, brooding, anti-hero.