Review of Payback (1999) by Filipeneto — 24 Aug 2021

This film reminded me a lot that ancient "noir" films, for their style and the way the characters behave. It takes place in an environment where innocence simply does not exist: everyone has a secret, a dirty business, an illegal activity, they are criminals or prostitutes. Overall, it's a pretty good movie, that delivers on its promises, but that has fallen by the wayside over the years.

The script takes a while to develop, but it becomes more interesting over time: we have a professional thief, Porter, who is tricked by his fellows (his wife and a friend) after stealing some Chinese mobsters, and is left for dead while they run away with his share of the money. When he manages to recover, he decides to go all the way to get revenge and to get his money back.

Directed by Brian Helgeland, the film feels like one of those old thrillers with a likeable anti-hero who, despite being a bad guy, knows how to act with integrity and have honor. Suffice it to say that the main character only wants the money from the stolen portion and not the whole cake, or more than that, and this is offered to him on more than one occasion. The film has a very good story, somewhat slow at first but pleasant overall, and full of action and moments of ironic and intelligent humor. The pace is good, the film has energy and had a good editing.

Mel Gibson is the man of the movie. In addition to being an agreeable protagonist and having made the film at an excellent time in his acting career (still enjoying the popularity achieved with the "Lethal Weapon" films), he imbues the character with enormous charisma and charm. Next to him, we have a ruthless, tough Gregg Henry. I also liked the work of William Devane, in the role of an elegant and sophisticated mobster, and Lucy Liu, who gave life to a sarcastic dominatrix prostitute and who, quite obviously, was fun to play for this renowned actress. Unfortunately, the film's two main girls - Rosie de Bello and Deborah Unger - cannot go beyond the clichéd register of the "femme fatale" of traditional "noir" movies.

On a technical level, it's an elegant and enjoyable film. The cinematography features washed-out colors and a soft light that, personally, reminded me of the black-and-white look that is the hallmark of the "noir" genre. The atmosphere is grim, as the film moves through garages, narrow streets and marginal environments, where crime happens, to ascend to the lavish office of the mob godfather or the well-furnished mansion of a crime boss with expensive tastes. The film skillfully recreates all this through excellent sets and well-crafted costumes. There are some good quality visuals, specials and sound effects, but the film is very sparing in its use. The soundtrack, full of jazz themes, helps a lot in building the environment.