Nobody takes a beating better than Mel Gibson. Bruised and bloodied, kicked around and shot at, his deadpan glare cuts right through all the violence -- straight to the bitter punchline. It's something he has mastered in many a film; with "Payback" he seems to have built a movie around it.
The film is a 100-minute pounding of Gibson, who, as a low-life criminal trying to get his money back from the mob, only has his defiant glare and a few clever quips to carry him through. Its brutal violence and wink-wink attitude make for an original, if not wholly effective tone: both misanthropic and sympathetic, intense and quirky. In "Payback," a bullet in the head serves as both a shock and a punchline.
With its depiction of a seedy city underworld filled with eccentric mobsters and crooked, bumbling cops, it wants to be a pulp comic, noir-ish thriller. But its slow, mechanical pacing and Gibson's one-note performance -- even his voice is a grumbling monotone -- only serve to leaden the film. When the tables are turned, as they continuously are in this film, it feels contrived and false, despite how clever it is occasionally done.
Filmed in sleek, steely tones, it has a style more fitting a Hong Kong action film than the story played out here, though one bullet-spraying sequence does rise to that genre.
Gibson plays Porter, who begins the film by getting shot by his drugged-out girlfriend and cheated out of $70,000 by his partner Val (Gregg Henry, channeling James Woods). After his recovery all he wants is his money back, no more, no less.
Unfortunately, Val has now bought his way back into the mob with the money. To get it, Porter has to go up against the mob, which also pits him against the police, and then, somehow, against the Asian Mafia. Needless to say, every time Porter turns around he gets a beating from someone. No one can believe he's going through all this for a mere $70,000.
But he does, and through pure stubbornness he manages to work his way up the chain of command in search of his money. Porter's not so much the genius one step ahead of everyone else as he is the nihilistic hero willing to take the unthinkable risks. He keeps on walking right into the lion's den and simply catching everyone off guard with his bravura.
It is refreshing to see such an amoral film like "Payback," where the body count continues to rise as Porter and others casually knock off their enemies. There's no real build-up to the violence, just a shrug of the shoulders then a shot in the chest.
Gibson has to shed all his charisma to play the cold, calculating Porter; not an easy job for one of our most likable movie stars. Writer-director Brian Helgeland has him steal money from a homeless man within the first five minutes to prove he is not a nice guy.
Gibson simply drops his whole persona to play the part, except for the one impenetrable glare which he wears throughout the film. Gone are the brilliant comic timing and manic mannerisms which usually make him such an enjoyable action hero. Here, he just sort of mopes through the film, carrying the film on his mere presence, which is still very commanding.
The supporting cast picks up the slack. Most notable is Lucy Liu as the prostitute/dominatrix/Asian gang member who is turned on by Porter's deathwish mentality. Dressed in black leather for the whole film, she turns a serious beating into a form of erotic ballet. Juxtaposed against a sullen Gibson, her brazen performance is a breath of fresh air.
David Paymer gives an amusing turn -- the same one he gave in "Get Shorty" -- as a low-life hustler who is way out of his league. William Devane and James Coburn show up as pampered mob bosses more concerned about their fine suits than the fact that Porter has a gun to their head.
And Maria Bello (the most beautiful doctor to grace "ER") moves easily into films. Playing Porter's abused mistress and call girl, she is all hard edges, but clearly breaking down. She is the only genuine character in the film, defined by more than just a quirk. It's the kind of sexy, mature performance Sharon Stone could do if she ever got her act together. With the little screen time Bello has, she adds the only undercurrent of soul to this otherwise cold film.
