I tried desperately to come up with something nice to say about
“Paycheck,” director John Woo’s
(“Face/Off”) latest action movie, but the best I can
say is this: It’s not “Gigli.” To be fair,
however, the mere presence of star Ben Affleck is not all that
condemns “Paycheck.” One should regard
“Paycheck” separately, as a failure of not only
Affleck, but almost everyone associated with the film.

The premise has potential. Affleck plays Michael Jennings, a
reverse engineer who takes commercial products and redesigns them
for rival firms. For reasons that are never made clear, Jennings
must have all memory of his work erased after each contract-job is
completed. Hired to do a mysterious assignment with a 10-figure
payoff, Jennings is shocked to find afterward that he gave up his
mega-payday for an envelope with 19 ordinary items.

The concept of Jennings trying to piece together his past seems
interesting, but “Paycheck” quickly mangles its only
chance at success. The plot unravels too quickly, and any aura of
mystery is lost early in the film. Jennings’ romance with his
co-worker Rachel (Uma Thurman) is a useless waste of time, adding
little to the film’s plot.

Neither Affleck nor Thurman make a decent effort to act in
“Paycheck.” Uma can be excused in this case. Saddled
with lines like, “Do you believe in second chances?”
and confined to an unnecessary role, she never really has a
chance.

Affleck cannot be so easily pardoned. He takes the role of a
smart, athletic hero and portrays the character as himself. To say
he is not believable in his role is an understatement. One sees Ben
Affleck, not Michael Jennings, fighting evil corporations and FBI
agents. It would have been far more practical and believable for
the writers to call Affleck’s character Ben and replace Uma
Thurman with Jennifer Lopez.

Of course, the plot and acting of this film should not matter.
This is a John Woo film, and one does not expect story or character
development. Chases, fights and explosions have always been the
hallmarks of Woo’s movies because of his ability to stylize
such violence. “Paycheck” contains all of these
elements, but the trademark style is replaced by cheesy effects and
gimmicks that belong in a made-for-television movie. Even fans of
John Woo will be left disappointed.

Rating: 1 star