Paycheck

Former Hong Kong action maestro John Woo is back to the farfetched fun that is his trademark in this Philip K. Dick-based sci-fi thriller. Set in a stylish, chrome-and-glass near-future in which Ben Affleck is an in-demand high-tech engineering genius (yeah, right) who works as a hired gun on short-term top-secret projects, the plot turns on the fact that after each job he has his memory erased back to his hire date under the guise of what you might call extreme non-disclosure agreements. But after a mysterious and illicit three-year job, Ben wakes up to discover he's divested himself of a $93 million profit and left in its stead an envelope containing 13 cryptic items (strange sunglasses, hairspray, a paper clip, a fortune cookie fortune, etc.) that begin coming in suspiciously handy as he is hunted by assassins and the FBI. Running for his life, he begins desperately trying to piece together those missing three years. Paycheck doesn't stand up to much logical scrutiny, but the film gets by on its tightly wound suspense and Woo's distinctive, gratifyingly slick cinematic tactics. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras include two audio commentaries (one by director John Woo, the other by screenwriter Dean Georgaris), the 17-minute production design featurette “Designing the Future,” a 16-minute “Tempting Fate” featurette on stunts, six deleted/extended scenes (10 min.), a two-minute alternate ending, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a so-so film.] (R. Blackwelder)[Blu-ray Review—May 26, 2009—Paramount, 118 min., PG-13, $29.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2003's Paycheck sports a decent transfer with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sound. Blu-ray extras are identical to the standard DVD release, including two audio commentaries (one by director John Woo, the other by screenwriter Dean Georgaris), the 17-minute production design featurette “Designing the Future,” a 16-minute “Tempting Fate” featurette on stunts, six deleted/extended scenes (10 min.), a two-minute alternate ending, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid Blu-ray debut recommended for Woo completists and optional elsewhere.]