- Joined
- Feb 8, 1999
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- Real Name
- Robert Harris
Payback is an interesting film with a troubled past, that might give prospective viewers the idea that it should be a pass.
That's not the case.
Disagreements during production had final control placed in hands other than those of the director, Brian Helgeland, who is best known for his screenwriting skills (L.A. Confidential, Mystic River). Payback was his first directorial effort.
When released in 1999, the film had a running time of 100 minutes, and overall, a decidedly cold (read: blue) look.
Now eight years later Paramount and Icon have apparently allowed Helgeland to have the final say, at least in terms of a home video release, and the results are more than worthy of any expenditures involved.
Gone is the cold look, replaced by gritty warmth. Gone is the 100 minute running time, replaced by a cut ten minutes shorter, but filled with a myriad of interesting deletions and additions.
To be clear, this is not one of those ubiquitous "Director's Cuts," offered to a needy home video audience more to place another product on store shelves or play to the vanity of the fimmaker, than to accomplish anything in a cinematic way. With the large number of DCs in the marketplace, I doubt that more than a dozen have enough substantive and thoughful changes to warrant a new release.
This one, like Sony's recent releases of Bugsy and The Natural, are true to their word.
The Director's Cut of Payback is not simply marketing hype.
While I don't have the original release easily available to me, from memory, the differences are huge, and the final result is a finer film.
As an HD release, Payback is not your typical selection. It is not a glossy production with that look of a freshly waxed floor, and Paramount wasn't afraid to replicate the film with a decidedly grainy, harsh and contrasty look intact. I commend them for the decision not to sanitize the film for HD to make it "pretty."
Because of this, some may feel that the differences between HD (or BD) and the available SD versions don't look enough dissimilar to warrant the extra few dollars to purchase HD. This would be incorrect, as the high definition versions hold a higher quality pallette, blacker blacks and an overall much more highly resolved image.
With the slant of the story changed, characters deleted and scenes added and removed, Payback (DC) is a better film than the original release. One major change allows the audience to understand up front the basis for Porter's (Gibson) motivations. The original cut gave us a lead character with motivations that didn't become clear until well into the film.
Payback comes to high definition video in beautiful form, and while not what many might consider a great film, it is a good film that deserves a couple of hours of your attention. As noted in an earlier piece, Paramount Home Video is not flooding the marketplace with HD releases. They are taking their time, doing their homework, and releasing product when ready.
In the case of Payback, extras give superb background to the production, and the DC, with a commentary from director Helgeland, and a "conversation" with author Donald Westlake, who was screenwriter on The Grifters.
Payback is available in either HD or BD. Both have been examined and both have the same high quality. While the HD release has Dolby Digital Plus 5.1, as opposed to standard Dolby Digital on the BD version, I could hear no discernable difference on the tracks for this particular film. The flavor of high definition disc purchased in this case comes down to whether one prefers blue or burgundy.
Paramount Home Video's high definition release of Payback "Straight Up: The Director's Cut" comes Recommended on all levels. It is especially Highly Recommended for film students on all educational levels, as a comparison with the original cut will aid in the understanding of precisely how differently a film can be cut, and how those changes can totally slant a storyline and character arcs. The footage sitting in the cans at the end of a shoot is only the beginning. This film can be used as a great classroom aid.
RAH
That's not the case.
Disagreements during production had final control placed in hands other than those of the director, Brian Helgeland, who is best known for his screenwriting skills (L.A. Confidential, Mystic River). Payback was his first directorial effort.
When released in 1999, the film had a running time of 100 minutes, and overall, a decidedly cold (read: blue) look.
Now eight years later Paramount and Icon have apparently allowed Helgeland to have the final say, at least in terms of a home video release, and the results are more than worthy of any expenditures involved.
Gone is the cold look, replaced by gritty warmth. Gone is the 100 minute running time, replaced by a cut ten minutes shorter, but filled with a myriad of interesting deletions and additions.
To be clear, this is not one of those ubiquitous "Director's Cuts," offered to a needy home video audience more to place another product on store shelves or play to the vanity of the fimmaker, than to accomplish anything in a cinematic way. With the large number of DCs in the marketplace, I doubt that more than a dozen have enough substantive and thoughful changes to warrant a new release.
This one, like Sony's recent releases of Bugsy and The Natural, are true to their word.
The Director's Cut of Payback is not simply marketing hype.
While I don't have the original release easily available to me, from memory, the differences are huge, and the final result is a finer film.
As an HD release, Payback is not your typical selection. It is not a glossy production with that look of a freshly waxed floor, and Paramount wasn't afraid to replicate the film with a decidedly grainy, harsh and contrasty look intact. I commend them for the decision not to sanitize the film for HD to make it "pretty."
Because of this, some may feel that the differences between HD (or BD) and the available SD versions don't look enough dissimilar to warrant the extra few dollars to purchase HD. This would be incorrect, as the high definition versions hold a higher quality pallette, blacker blacks and an overall much more highly resolved image.
With the slant of the story changed, characters deleted and scenes added and removed, Payback (DC) is a better film than the original release. One major change allows the audience to understand up front the basis for Porter's (Gibson) motivations. The original cut gave us a lead character with motivations that didn't become clear until well into the film.
Payback comes to high definition video in beautiful form, and while not what many might consider a great film, it is a good film that deserves a couple of hours of your attention. As noted in an earlier piece, Paramount Home Video is not flooding the marketplace with HD releases. They are taking their time, doing their homework, and releasing product when ready.
In the case of Payback, extras give superb background to the production, and the DC, with a commentary from director Helgeland, and a "conversation" with author Donald Westlake, who was screenwriter on The Grifters.
Payback is available in either HD or BD. Both have been examined and both have the same high quality. While the HD release has Dolby Digital Plus 5.1, as opposed to standard Dolby Digital on the BD version, I could hear no discernable difference on the tracks for this particular film. The flavor of high definition disc purchased in this case comes down to whether one prefers blue or burgundy.
Paramount Home Video's high definition release of Payback "Straight Up: The Director's Cut" comes Recommended on all levels. It is especially Highly Recommended for film students on all educational levels, as a comparison with the original cut will aid in the understanding of precisely how differently a film can be cut, and how those changes can totally slant a storyline and character arcs. The footage sitting in the cans at the end of a shoot is only the beginning. This film can be used as a great classroom aid.
RAH
I actually like the DC better including the new musical score. Porter is one tough SOB.
