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When it comes to movies based on video games, I tend to keep my expectations pretty low. After all, most video games aren’t about telling a story; generally, they’re about going on some kind of adventure and blowing a lot of stuff up. So if a video game movie can provide me with a whole lot of cool explosions and maybe a little bit of story, I won’t be too disappointed. So, thanks to my low expectations, I wasn’t too disappointed with the latest video game installment, Max Payne. But I wasn’t thrilled, either.
Max Payne stars Mark Wahlberg as the title character, a tormented detective who works as a file clerk by day and hunts his wife and child’s killer by night. When he’s tied to a woman who was found brutally murdered, Max discovers that her death and his wife’s death may be connected. Unfortunately, anyone who uncovers a clue about that connection suddenly winds up dead.
With some help from the victim’s sister (Mila Kunis), Max dodges curious Internal Affairs agent (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges) and concerned family friend BB Hensley (Beau Bridges) to follow a trail of victims that seems to lead to a deadly new drug.
Since it’s based on a video game, it comes as no real surprise that Max Payne is often visually striking—with its dark and threatening city streets occasionally splashed with just a touch of vibrant color. And the fact that it’s constantly snowing (though none of the white stuff ever seems to collect on the ground) only adds to the film’s cold, austere feeling. At times, in fact, it feels like a mix of Sin City and The Matrix.
Unfortunately, though, Max Payne doesn’t have the same mystique as Sin City or The Matrix. The central theme (angry cop who’s out for revenge) is nothing new—and the parts that are new (those involving some scary winged hallucinations) are completely underdeveloped. And while there actually is some sort of a plot, it’s needlessly complex, resulting in heavy exposition, which only slows down the action.
Of course, it’s the action that truly matters in a video game movie—and the action in Max Payne is often pretty thrilling (it’s also very, very loud). Though the good guys seem to be invincible and the bad guys seem to be incompetent, they come together for some highly entertaining action scenes. The only problem is that there just aren’t enough of them.
As a result, Max Payne is a relatively entertaining video game flick. The action scenes, while few and far between, are pretty exciting. And the story may be excessively complex, but at least there is a story. So if you’re a fan of the video game, you’re sure to enjoy it. For the rest of you, though, if you’re looking for some intriguing action, I recommend renting Shoot ‘Em Up or another Wahlberg action movie, Shooter, instead.
DVD Review (by Michael Heerema):
The Max Payne DVD offers the option of viewing either the theatrical cut or the unrated cut, though outside a few extended action sequences, there isn’t much added.
Special features include a commentary track with the director, production designer, and visual effects supervisor. As commentary tracks go, it’s fairly standard stuff, most memorable for the director’s unabashed affection for the firearms seen in the film. Also included is a making-of documentary that, while reasonably informative, could have used a bit more polish.
Most interesting is the inclusion of the Michelle Payne animated graphic novel. Serving as a prequel to the film (though one best watched after viewing the film itself—there are spoilers involved) it provides some character for Max’s murdered wife. Murdered spouses are so often used as a MacGuffin in revenge thrillers that it’s a pleasant surprise to see her take the spotlight for 20 minutes. The art is crisp, and the added motion effects help to give it a bit more impact than static images would.
