Max Payne (2008)

Director:

John Moore

Writers (WGA):

Beau Thorne (screenplay)
Sam Lake (video game by Remedy Entertainment and 3-D Realms Entertainment)

Release Date:

17 October 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Coming together to solve a series of murders in New York City are a police detective whose family was slain as part of a conspiracy and an assassin out to avenge her sister's death. The duo will be hunted by the police, the mob, and a ruthless corporation.

Plot Keywords:

Death | Assassin | Police Detective | Hallucination | New York City

Awards:

2 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Nov. 28	10:00 PM	MAX
Sun. Nov. 29	2:15 AM	MAX

Cast

Mark Wahlberg	...	Max Payne
Mila Kunis	...	Mona Sax
Beau Bridges	...	BB Hensley
Ludacris	...	Lt. Jim Bravura (as Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges)
Chris O'Donnell	...	Jason Colvin
Donal Logue	...	Det. Alex Balder
Amaury Nolasco	...	Jack Lupino
Kate Burton	...	Nicole Horne
Olga Kurylenko	...	Natasha Sax
Rothaford Gray	...	Joe Salle
Joel Gordon	...	Owen Green
Jamie Hector	...	Lincoln DeNeuf
Andrew Friedman	...	Trevor Duncan
Marianthi Evans	...	Michelle Payne
Nelly Furtado	...	Christa Balder

Also Known As:

Max Payne (Canada: French title)
Max Payne (Germany) [de]
Max Payne (Greece) [el]
Max Payne (Argentina) [es]
Max Payne (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence including intense shooting sequences, drug content, some sexuality and brief strong language.

Runtime:

100 min | 103 min (unrated version)

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English | Russian | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:R (original rating) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #44716) | UK:15 (uncut) | Ireland:15A | Finland:K-15 | Australia:MA (2008) | Hungary:16 (originial rating) | New Zealand:M | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Singapore:PG | New Zealand:R16 (re-rating) | Portugal:M/16 | Sweden:15 | Norway:15 | South Africa:13V | Netherlands:16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | South Korea:15 | Canada:14A (British Columbia) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Germany:16 | Brazil:14 | France:-12 | Argentina:16 | Peru:14 | Malaysia:18PL | Germany:18 (Extended Director's Cut on DVD) | Japan:PG-12 | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) | India:A | Iceland:14 (video rating) | Iceland:16 (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Bay Station - 64 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Abandon Entertainment

Trivia:

Mark Wahlberg reportedly never played the video game as he didn't want to become addicted, and felt the script connected him to the story enough.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: As Max walks towards Alex's car, streetcar tracks appear in the road. New York City has no streetcar tracks, but Toronto, where the the film was shot, does.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Max Payne: I don't believe in Heaven. I believe in Pain. I believe in Fear. I believe in Death.

Movie Connections:

References Show Them No Mercy! (1935)

Soundtrack:

Oscar 1208

A die hard fan is pleased, and here's why.

Oh, my dreams have sort of come true. Max Payne, on film. I had prayed for months that it wouldn't stink to the high heavens like every other video game adaptation. Thankfully, Max Payne does not stink as a standalone film or adaptation, nor is it anything like the other game adaptations. John Moore's obvious goal in the film was to match the spirit, tone, and grit of the game, and I have to say that he reached it.

While I was disappointed in the lack of action sequences, I think that including even half of the action from the game would have taken away from the realism of the film, as mountains of action sequences work a lot better in a game than they do on film. The film opts for a quieter tone, and a much more thoughtful and introspective approach. I appreciated this a lot, as a fan of the game. By no means is Max Payne just thrown together to make a quick buck. It is well made, and well thought out. I was not disappointed in this aspect.

Mark Wahlberg, thank you for not failing. That would have ruined my year. Wahlberg delivers a quiet, yet subtle and intense performance in the title role as the most "pain" and "pun" inducing detective of all time. While there is a large supporting cast, I really wasn't swayed either way by any of them, besides Chris Bridges, who was actually playing a character for once instead of himself on screen. Mila Kunis as Mona Sax wasn't the best casting in the world, but Mila proves that it wasn't the worst casting either. There isn't as much depth to her in the film as there was in the game.

As an adaptation, the Max Payne film is very different from the game in pretty much every aspect besides the tone and the characterizations. Once again, all I wanted was the tone to be right, and I got what I wanted. Though the noir aspect of the game is somewhat lacking (I missed Max's inner monologue so much), I still found it to be the dark and effective thriller that the game was. A brooding performance from Wahlberg and a matching score only add to the film. Stunning visuals, engineered by the fictional hallucinogenic drug in the film, in addition to the dark cinematography, steal attention away from the fact that the film's editing is subpar.

I have to bring to life the fact that Max Payne is not an action movie at heart. It is a mystery film with some action scenes (and some very well done visual effects). The game may have been a shoot 'em up style game, but I know that you can't do this on film and expect to be taken seriously, which Max Payne should be.

At it's core, Max Payne, despite a lot of changes from the game, remains the dark, story driven thriller that I've loved for a good part of my life. I'm proud of the film as a die hard fan of the game, and respect it for what it is as a film by itself. I'm satisfied, and not disappointed. For those who haven't played the game, Max Payne is an effective mystery film that is driven by the main character and the exposition around him. For those who will inevitably complain about a lack of action sequences, wake up and realize that Moore & company got the tone right, at the expense of necessary cuts.