nan | 楠木

    I never did read any of Philip Dick’s science fiction, which must be a great loss, but still I can get a glimpse of his magnificience through movie adaptations. Paycheck is the latest in the line, this time directed by John Woo.

    I still remember John Woo as the director who directed films like A Better Tomorrow, based in Hong Kong, rather than a director based in Hollywood who directed MI:2. Hollywood action is different from Hong Kong action, and John Woo just doesn’t produce the same kind of magic anymore. After watching this film I felt that he wasn’t the man for the film.

    Paycheck, from what I grasp from this current film, should be a psychological sci-fi thriller. A man loses his memory– but before he loses it he leaves himself enough clues and tools to solve the mystery, and eventually "save the world". What intrigues me is how he puts the pieces together, not in what style does he give the next baddie a good beating. John Woo seems to have gotten it the other way– there’s too much focus on action, and it makes the film lose the feel of a psycho-thriller.

    That said, the film is still on solid ground. The flow of the film is good, there’s twists and turns, and the audience is kept busy trying to figure out how our hero is going to use the items he left for himself. The music score has nothing new to offer for a sci-fi thriller, but does a good job of delivering the suspense. The photography is good, very clear story-telling. If only there were less action. And John Woo just couldn’t resist putting yet another flying pigeon in the film. Too much of a good thing.

    Anyway a decent film, and well worth watching, especially if you don’t know the story. And finally, one ethical question comes to mind– would you sacrifice your memory for money?