Payback: Straight Up

The Director's Cut earns a higher mark than its predecessor because it mercifully removes the voice over narration and some cringeworthy dialogue. It's obviously just as ludicrous(ly fun) as the original but this version is better paced/written. Plus you still get to see Lucy Liu twists a man's testicles with her high heel shoe. Everybody wins.

Payback is my second favorite movie of all time. Payback: Straight Up is shit. Every action scene in Payback either cut or replaced by a cheesy half-assed student film looking action scene. Mel Gibson is no longer in most of the new scenes. And all the humor is removed. This is SHIT!

A tightly told story involving archetypal characters - but that's a trade-off towards a less tedious plot as pay-off, and for what this is that's completely ok; often straight up darkly fun is ambition enough. *Preview*: #13#, exp-3*, story, reviews, writer Helgeland/2, cast, R3.

Mel Gibson as an asshole criminal, whose single recognizable character trade is that he shoots everyone, who gets on his nerves. as he also does with everyone, whose getting shot by him proves others, that he's serious, when he says he's gonna shoot someone. light entertainment, but there's something fun about a protagonist who's only motivation is getting back some money.

Porter shoots a lot of people. Porter gets the shit beat out of him. This happens in pretty much every scene. Still, an entertaining crime flick. The darker sides of Porter and shown in this version.

Much better than the theatrical cut - which toned down Porter's viciusness to make him more likeable, and had the stupid tacked on happy Hollywood ending. In this cut Porter (or Parker if you're familiar with the Donald Westlake books) is how he's supposed to be; a ruthless chiseller who's not very nice most of the time. Yes, some humour is cut out, but this was never meant to be a comedy.

Mad Mel. Never better. Woefully underrated. At least in this - the Director's Cut.

Shamelessly implausible, with cardboard characters and morally bankrupt, but hard not too enjoy. The coherent but oblique plot is full of surprising kinks, the casting is about the best I've ever seen (choices like Devane, Coburn and Duke are utterly inspired, Gregg Henry rocks, Gibson's expressiveness brings a flatly written protagonist to life), and the pace in this cut is breakneck, and the result is a bubbly and very tense action movie.

A different take on the same subject, is incredible how far apart a movie can be with a different cut, I wouldn't say it is superior it's just a darker different movie, but maintains the freshness.

Lacks the sensibilities that make the theatrical cut as popular as it is today. Theatrical Cut is a better story, a tall tale worthy of the silver screen. The Director's Cut is just a run of the mill crime movie; could of been made by anyone.

A purer version of an already great revenge flick.

75.000

A grimily unpleasant affair, this movie just isn't a lot of fun (or thrilling enough to get away with not being much fun, or well-written enough to get away with not being very thrilling). I found the bleach-bypass visuals mildly headache-inducing. I did like the recurring gag of Porter not being able to get through to the outfit that he wants $70,000 instead of $130,000 though, and can always watch a little Mad Mel.