Paycheck
| State of Body | Not so fresh, but not completely stale. |
|---|---|
| Detail of Inspection | Inspected twice. |
| Forensic Investigator | winstoninabox |
| Comments | Could have had Hitchcock confusion, but instead ends up just a little Woozy. |
I enjoyed Paycheck. It is a passable action movie that unfortunately squanders an excellent premise. Michael Jennings (Ben Affleck) is a reverse engineer who has voluntarily had the last 3 years of his memory wiped to protect the intellectual property rights of the company he worked for. In exchange for this he was to receive almost 100 million dollars. At the completion of the job he finds out that he instead chose to forfeit the money and mail himself 20 everyday items. Jennings must unravel the mystery of why he would do such a thing, while trying to interpret the meanings of the items, all while trying to avoid being murdered by his former friend and employer, billionaire James Rethrick.
The film doesn’t play enough mind games with the audience’s knowledge of what happened in the missing 3 years, there is a tacked on subplot about the FBI that goes nowhere, most characters’ aren’t as developed as they could be, and the interesting premise of a man rediscovering himself is lost amongst the flash and bang of car chases and shootouts. There are so many elements that should have been better developed.
All of what is shown between Jennings being given the first injection to when he receives the second injection should, like Jennings’ memory, be wiped from the movie. As Jennings is given the first injection the film should cut straight to him waking from the second injection. No scenes inside the compound of meeting Dekker or Dr. Porter. This would leave the viewer on the same unsure footing as Michael is about what has happened in the intervening 3 years. Then everything he is presented with, we are too. We, like he, should have no knowledge that he worked with Dekker, and certainly no knowledge that the woman he met at the party he would meet again in the compound. We should be just as surprised as he is to discover any snippet of what went on in the missing 3 years.
The FBI, apart from their initial meeting with Jennings, isn’t required for the story. They are only needed to feed Jennings the information about the patents and the death of Dekker, Jenning’s partner in the work. The story of the unscrupulous FBI director who wants the machine for the good of America is a superfluous attempt to provide tension by having a second group chasing Michael. Everything they bring to the movie is already there in the cat and mouse between Jennings and Rethrick. After Jenning’s escapes from the FBI, they can safely disappear from the film. Taking them out leaves more screen time for other elements that could be better explored.
I want to see more of Shorty in the movie. The relationship between the two men isn’t clearly defined. Is Shorty Jennings’ manager, his secretary, or his doctor? In the extras on the DVD there is a very nice scene between the two as they travel in a limousine Rethrick has supplied to bring them to his party. In it Shorty cautions Jennings about dealing too much with Rethrick. It’s easy to see why this quiet scene didn’t make it to the screen in a plot-based film, but it could be restored if the focus were on the characters. It better defines the relationship between Shorty and Jennings, and shows more about the Michael Jennings we first meet.
I want to see more of Dr. Rachel Porter. Initially Dr. Porter is too smart for Jennings boyish charms, and she brushes off his advances at Rethrick’s party. The next time we see her is when Jennings enters the compound to begin his 3-year stint. Here she is shown as playful toward Jennings, and the last scene he sees as his door closes is her smiling face. As said before, these scenes should be removed. The Dr. Porter shown after the party is the woman who now loves Jennings. She must believe that he has left her and had his mind wiped for a good reason. She must cope with his lack of feelings toward her because of the mind wipe.
I want to see more of James Rethrick. After watching the extras on the DVD it hinted that Rethrick was not meant to be the stock evil villain, but actually had the misguided belief that knowing the future could be used for the benefit of humankind. There was a deleted scene between Jennings and Rethrick. This interpretation has disappeared from the finished product, but would be much better left implemented. It would make Rethrick a stronger character, for there is no one more driven than the megalomaniac who believes his actions are for the benefit of all.
The meat of the story should be Michael Jennings. Paycheck as it is, is pretty much a plot-based film. And at first glance it would appear that it must be. Jennings will interpret the clues of the twenty everyday items to unravel the mystery. This sounds like an extremely plot-based film. But there is actually a very large scope for it to be much more character driven, especially as it involves two Michael Jennings – the selfish, egotist we are first introduced to, and then the man he has became during the missing 3 years. The Jennings in Rethrick’s room immediately after the memory wipe is the same Michael Jennings that was at the start of the picture. What if he had to not just interpret the meanings of the items, but also imagine what kind of man had left them? Jennings gives up three things – his memory, his love, and his paycheck - when he has his mind wiped. As the Jennings we are first introduced to would only do one of these things, there should be more exploration of what kind of the man who did this.
What kind of man willingly gives up his memories for money? This isn’t explored enough. There is one scene where Shorty questions Michael about why he does it, but there is no debate. Shorty doesn’t offer a counterpoint to Michael’s reasoning. This should be done, for the film needs to juxtapose the two Michaels - the one who has over 3 forgotten years grown into a man who would sacrifice his profit, with the man who returns from the memory wipe to collect his paycheck.
Jennings could initially be shown as even more egotistical and narcissistic than he is. Then he could gradually come to the conclusion that he has given up his huge paycheck for something more important than himself, thus giving him a little more character development that he currently has. This can be done as the memories that were not successfully wiped slowly filter into his consciousness. Through them he should see that he indeed changed over the 3 years, so much so that the woman who initially rebuffed him, has become his finance.