Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Beau Bridges , Ludacris, Chris O’Donnell, ; Director: John Moore; Producers: Scott Faye, John Moore, Julie Yorn; Screenwriters: Beau Thorne, Sam Lake; Music: Marco Beltrami; Editor: Dan Zimmerman; Genre: Action/ Crime/ Drama/ Thriller; Cinematography: Jonathan Sela; Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox-Film Corporation; Location: USA; Technical Assessment: 3
Moral Assessment: 2.5
CINEMA Rating: For mature viewers age 18 and above
Max Payne (Mark Wahlberg) works in a drab corner of a police precinct. Exuding an anti-social air about him, Payne is left alone by his officemates, knowing he has not as yet recovered from the trauma of losing his wife and his infant son. As a new colleague comes to know later, Payne had come home one evening to find his family brutally murdered in their own bedroom. Since then he has been distraught and obsessed with revenge, often venturing alone, disregarding rules and defying authority in searching for clues to lead him to the murderers. His relentless investigation gets him entangled in the underworld where he comes face to face with his enemies and realizes that he is dealing with power that is larger than life itself.
As an action film based on the 2001 video game of the same name, Max Payne went through almost seven years pre-production period but was shot only within two months. Wahlberg is a natural for the role of the distressed and hyperactive loner. In general it’s a very good cast, which makes for the convincing realism of the story. The darkness of the theme and the nature of the characters is complemented by the just-right music and effectively enforced by the cinematographic effects, the colors, lighting, shadows, the sets and locations (such as the abandoned warehouse). One noteworthy aspect of Max Payne’s visuals is the costume and the makeup—these are used with restraint, not exaggerated to define the characters or the situations. The has some loopholes, but they’re forgivable, considering the other superior elements of the movie’s technical aspect.
The theme of Max Payne may be revenge but the real issue is Payne’s inability to cope constructively with tragedy. Thus the movie speaks much of the human situation, and viewers who have ears (not only eyes) will listen to and find in its faint message the path to a solution that might in the future help prevent self-destructive situations from recurring. Payne as victim of loved ones’ loss may be emotionally-driven and seeking justice—understandable situations for humans to be in—but nothing in the past seemed to have prepare him for the brutal episode he found himself in. His single-minded compulsion at tracking down his enemies are rewarded, but at what cost? It’s important to note the extra footage after the credits; it gives you a clue as to the future Payne is facing. And perhaps, also a foretaste of a Max Payne sequel
