Max Payne

MAX PAYNE (15)
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Beau Bridges, Ludacris
Directed by: John Moore
Released: 14/11/2008

...is literally that . . . a pain! Walking out of the cinema, I was questioning whether I would rather break my leg and suffer excruciating physical pain or be forced to watch Max Payne again... I’d happily take the cast.
I think out of all of the reviews I have read about this film, two were positive towards this shambles of cinematic viewing. Mark “Marky-Mark” Wahlberg plays ex-homicide cop, Payne, whose wife and child were brutally murdered and ever since he has been seeking vengeance and knowledge. Everyone who seems to be a lead is either a liar or meets an unfortunate end. Be careful who you trust?
Based on a very popular selling video game, on paper this film had a lot of promise. A huge fan base already existed due to the game so a lot of great things could have happened – but didn’t. Firstly, the script is completely dire and the acting (particularly from Mila Kunis – last seen in Forgetting Sarah Marshall) is worthy of a Razzie. Move over Lindsay Lohan! As for the plot, it should have stuck to the console. The film relies way too much on atmosphere and whilst attempting to copy the beautiful and clever style of Sin City it manages to overuse the one thing it has going for it – the cinematography. The entire film is set in dark and seedy areas with snow constantly falling. Sound familiar?
The actions sequences are average, it annoyed me that the film is nowhere near as exciting as it should have been. Granted, Payne is not a superhero; but nor is Batman and look how high The Dark Knight raised the bar for its genre this past summer! I wanted this to be good. I kept lying to myself and saying it would get better any minute… sadly, just like Payne’s predicament I was living in denial without a clue.


Amy V Gathercole
Editor