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Payback

Straight Up: the Director's Cut
May 10, 2015lukasevansherman rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
Based on the book "The Hunter" by Richard Stark (aka Donald E. Westlake), this is the second film version; "Point Blank" with Lee Marvin is the first. And Mel Gibson is no Lee Marvin. Written and directed by Brian Helgeland, who adapted James Ellroy's sprawling crime epic "L.A. Confidential" for the big screen, this is a simple revenge story of a man left for dead who wants his money. The film was taken away from Helgeland, so this is his "director's cut," which is actually shorter than the theatrical version. It's a competently done crime film, with a good cast and some suitably violent scenes. It would've been better with another actor in the lead though. Maria Bello, Lucy Liu, James Coburn, David Paymer, Deborh Kara Unger, and Bill Duke co-star. Also, Gibson never says "Payback's a bitch," which he totally should've. The DVD includes a short interview with author Donald E. Westlake (Richard Stark) and a featurette about the new cut of the film. Part of the 90s crime/gangster boom.