Okay, I admit I might be a little bit behind the times here, but I just watched Max Payne the movie, starring Mark Wahlberg as the title character, and I felt compelled to write about it since this film blog is housed on a gamer lifestyle site! The film was released in theaters in 2008 and on DVD in January of 2009. Considering that it is now November 2009, chances are you already saw the film or read a review, but for those who haven’t this one’s for you! I will also state that I wouldn’t have seen this film if it weren’t for my younger brother’s voracious appetite for purchasing seemingly any film that comes out on DVD. His film collection is vast and is a virtual hit parade of new releases. Well, they aren’t all hits! His tastes run a bit more mainstream than mine but without his collection I wouldn’t see half the new films I view. So, thanks Mike! I owe you one.
Now, back to disparaging this film! I’ve had to do some reading in order to compare this film to the successful game by the same name, but let’s just say the film version of this title is not quite the same story as the video game. Now, I happen to be a film snob who believes two separate forms of media should not be compared, such as the book and the movie or film and game in this case, because they are distinct art forms and should be treated as such. However, it does seem relevant to note that the CEO of 3D Realms Scott Miller, a producer of the game, disowned the film upon its release (only to reclaim it when the film hit #1 in its opening weekend, how’s that for integrity!). In all honesty, I have only played the video game a few times and not for very long at that, so I will leave the film-to-game comparison to someone else. Let’s look at this film on its own merits, shall we?
The plot of this film is pretty thin, but still manages to trip on itself a few times while attempting to paint the picture. Or rather, due to the thin plot several connections in the film are left murky and weak, at best. From where we start the film, this is the story of police detective Max Payne, a has-been cop relegated to the dead-end cold case desk at his station after his wife and newborn child are brutally murdered in a seemingly random burglary of his home by three junkies. Max is a bitter and grim man, who wears a really nice leather coat and carries several cannon-sized handguns. While looking sharp in that leather coat, Max is on the prowl for clues to the men who killed his family and along the way he’s kicking ass! What seems a loose end with the junkies leads to a random connection that leaves Max the primary suspect in a grisly murder . . . or two. After his old partner gets slaughtered in an apparent attempt to help Max solve his case, Max is once again on the prowl, with extreme prejudice. Along the way he picks up a pretty sidekick who knows how to handle an H&K MP5 sub-machine gun; use it to open doors! I won’t spoil the little that’s leftover of the plot of this film so you can either wonder or watch it to learn the climax of Max’s revenge saga.
By this point, I’m sure you have realized I’m not a big fan of this film, but it isn’t the worst thing I’ve seen this week and it certainly isn’t the worst movie adaptation of a video game. Uwe Boll’s films still hold the record for that category! Max Payne the movie simply isn’t very fun to watch. I totally admit to being disappointed with the poopy PG-13 rating and even the “unrated” version only reveals 3 minutes of uncut footage and some amped up CG gore. There was some promise in the R rated vein, but it was all for naught. What was on screen was too dark and brooding to be enjoyable and sometimes just too darn dark to see! There were some very nice CG sequences involving Valkyries (you’ll have to see it to understand) hovering about and threatening hellish mayhem, but in general there just wasn’t much interesting to see. Mind you, this film is not overtly horrible, it just didn’t come off very well. Of course, I’m surely a fool for expecting more in the plot area from a video game adaptation, but then the story lines of many of the source video games are so rich and well flushed out that it is sometimes a wonder how the films get so watered down. Mostly, Max Payne delivers CG graphic violence and imagery draped over a CG crafted city with some nifty CG flying Norse angels wrapped around a standard revenge story.
The acting in this film is acceptable for the type of film we get, basically an action film run through an underworld CG ringer. As mentioned earlier, Mark Wahlberg’s version of Max Payne is a grim and bitter character who really only has one note, kind of like Wahlberg’s acting skills (yet, despite this I like the dude for some reason). A surprise casting choice was Beau Bridges as Max’s “friend” B.B. I don’t think I’ve seen Bridges in anything for years and always thought the chubbier, less talented Bridges boy should get a few more acting jobs, so it was good to see him in this. He does fine. For the film.
So, if you’re looking for a not-totally horrible, medium-grade revenge/action film than this just might be the film for you! As for me, I’m glad I didn’t have to pay to see it.
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