Just as he predicted, Ben Affleck recovers quickly from wounds inflicted by the Gigli bomb -- because his new movie Paycheck is a blast.
Okay, it is also a bit silly at times. And the convoluted plot -- updated from a Philip K. Dick sci-fi story by Dean Georgaris -- is illogical once you stop the madness and start picking apart the Memento-style story details.
But Hollywood's Hong Kong connection, John Woo, keeps things moving, buzzing and blowing up at breakneck speed. Paycheck (or Paycheque to Canadians, eh?) is one of those thoroughly entertaining flicks that is easily forgotten. In other words, it is good escapism for the holidays. The movie opens tomorrow.
Affleck, whose best qualities on screen are his slightly sarcastic humour and his easy acceptance of the absurd, plays a genius computer geek. His job, should he choose to accept it, is to invent -- or beg, borrow or steal -- hi-tech systems for well-heeled corporate clients.
In exchange for his handsome paychecks, he is obliged to let experts wipe out his memory bank for the specific period of time it took him to develop the technology. Consequently, he is unable to pass along any secrets to anyone else.
Usually, these memory wipes involve a few weeks. But a powerful corporate friend (Aaron Eckhart in another cold-hearted, cruel-man role) entices him with the ultimate paycheck and the longest assignment: Three years!
Zap! When he comes out of it, a life-and-death chase is on for the rest of the movie. Affleck has left himself an envelope full of clues that need to be unravelled because his life, not to mention his financial security, depends on it. Oh, and the fate of the world hangs in the balance.
This is an enticing little mad-science plot. But Woo, as is his wont, turns most of the movie into an elaborate chase sequence with the usual spectacular stunts and bone-rattling explosions. In other words, he plays to the lowest common denominator for the visceral thrills. The intellectual game with the clues is strictly a device, not an end in itself.
So Affleck's brainiac character also has to function on a physical, action hero level -- and Affleck seems up to the task. But he is clearly outclassed by Uma Thurman, who uses her Kill Bill prowess to great effect as Affleck's sidekick and love interest. Thurman is now at the absolute peak of her powers as a kick-ass movie heroine.
Key support roles from excitable Paul Giamatti, who is on the hero's side, and cool Colm Feore, who is the evil Eckhart's chief henchman. There is no point in having a war of good vs. evil if you don't find both sides interesting, and everybody is fun in this flick. Woo polishes the action to an extreme, slapping on a slick veneer that makes the near-future world depicted on screen absolutely sparkle.
(This film is rated PG)
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