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Max Payne (film)

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Max Payne
File:Paynep2.jpg
Teaser poster
Directed byJohn Moore
Written byBeau Thorne
Produced byJohn Moore
Scott Faye
Julie Yorn
StarringMark Wahlberg
Mila Kunis
Beau Bridges
Chris Bridges
CinematographyJonathan Sela
Edited byDan Zimmerman
Music byMarco Beltrami
Buck J. Sanders
Metsuo[1]
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release dates
Australia October 16, 2008
United States October 17, 2008
United Kingdom November 14, 2008
Running time
100 min
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$35 million [2]

Max Payne is a 2008 action film based on the 2001 video game of the same name. The film was directed by John Moore and stars Mark Wahlberg in the title role. The film was released on October 16, 2008 in Australia, [3] one day prior to the United States release date.[4]

Synopsis

Max Payne (Mark Wahlberg) is a cop whose family is brutally murdered. He embarks on a maverick path, venturing into the underworld to find those responsible for the murders. Payne finds that he faces both very powerful enemies and betrayal.[4]

Production

The 2001 video game Max Payne was optioned by the production company Collision Entertainment to produce a live-action film adaptation. By April 2002, distributors Dimension Films and Abandon Entertainment were attached to the project. Shawn Ryan, the creator of the television series The Shield, was hired to write a script for the planned film.[5] By June 2005, without production starting, Collision Entertainment had taken the project to 20th Century Fox.[6] In November 2007, with a script written by Beau Thorne, Fox announced John Moore as the director and Mark Wahlberg as the star in the titular role.[7]

Filming began in Toronto on March 2, 2008 and wrapped by May 9, 2008.[8] The film will be rated PG-13 in the United States, a departure from the M-rated video game series. Mila Kunis said of the tone-down, "It's incredibly dark. You still get the gist of it. The only difference between R-rated and PG-13 is you might not see as much blood. You might not see blood squirting everywhere, but as far as the sadness and the darkness of it and the distraught [nature] of these human beings is very much captured in the film."[9]

Though filmed with the intention of receiving a PG-13 rating, Max Payne received an unofficial R rating by the MPAA on September 5th 2008, which resulted in a backlash from Moore.[10].

On September 22, 2008, a recent trailer confirmed a PG-13 rating, "for violence including intense shooting sequences, drug content, some sexuality and brief strong language." [11] Director John Moore confirmed in an interview with GameDaily's John Gaudiosi that the film was awarded the PG-13 rating without any major changes being made to the film. Describing the re-editing process Moore stated, "We trimmed some frames more for the sake of trimming frames than anything, but we got the rating without any major changes at all."[12]

Many months prior to the release of the movie, a draft of the script had been leaked. Though many doubts existed as to the validity of the document, with the release of the Max Payne trailer, which had words exactly matching those of the script, it was accepted that the script was indeed real.

The film was given the 15 rating in the United Kingdom, for "strong violence"[13] and MA 15+ in Australia for "Frequent violence and drug use"[14].

Cast

  • Mark Wahlberg as Max Payne, a cop who, haunted by the murder of his family, disregards rules to investigate their deaths.[7] While describing his role, Wahlberg has said, "It's probably one of the edgier roles I've played but also the most layered. Here's a very happy guy who worked a dismal job, had a beautiful family. But the beauty in his life was taken away. He just goes on a rampage. It's all driven by emotion."[15]
  • Beau Bridges as B.B. Hensley, a former cop and Max Payne's mentor.[16]
  • Mila Kunis as Mona Sax, an assassin who seeks revenge for the murder of her sister.[16]
  • Chris "Ludacris" Bridges as Jim Bravura, an internal affairs agent.[17]
  • Chris O'Donnell as Jason Colvin, an executive[18] and Nicole Horne's "right-hand man".[19]
  • Nelly Furtado as Christa Balder, wife of Alex Balder.[20]
  • Kate Burton as Nicole Horne, CEO of Aesir Corporation.[19]
  • Donal Logue as Alex Balder, Max Payne's former partner and best friend.[3]
  • Amaury Nolasco as Sgt. Jack Lupino, a Valkyr test subject who becomes unstable due to his addiction to the drug.[3]
  • Olga Kurylenko as Natasha Sax , Mona's sister, she meets Max at an informant's party. She went home with Max and attempts to have sex with him. When she notices the pictures of Michelle, she volunteers to pretend to be Michelle. Max is upset by this and asks her to leave. Angry at herself and at Max she tries to contact her drug contact Owen for a sample of Valkyr. She is killed by Lupino while hallucinating, and her murder leads to Max's encounter with Mona.[21]
  • Marianthi Evans as Michelle Payne, Wife of Max Payne.[22]

Critical Reception

The film has received generally negative reviews. The film currently has a 17% "rotten" rating at Rotten Tomatoes, based on 70 reviews, and a consensus opinion that "While it boasts some stylish action, Max Payne suffers severely from an illogical plot and overdirection." [23] Tom Long noted that the film may be the worst of the year.[24] Louise Keller said "the most striking element is the production design..."[25] Bruce Paterson wrote for the Australian Film Critics Association and Cinephilia that "Mark Wahlberg is terrific in hard-bitten roles", but in a reference to the Valkyries concluded "it could have done with more of the Norse and less of the force."[26][27]

References

  1. ^ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FBF1RU/ref=dm_sp_alb
  2. ^ http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=maxpayne.htm, Box Office Mojo
  3. ^ a b c "Max Payne (2008)". imdb.com. imdb.com, L.P. Retrieved 2008-10-12. Cite error: The named reference "imdb" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b "Max Payne". ComingSoon.net. Coming Soon Media, L.P. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
  5. ^ Brodesser, Claude (2002-04-18). "Ryan takes game to 'Max'". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
  6. ^ Gaudiosi, John (2005-06-27). "Fox feels game 'Payne'". The Hollywood Reporter. Nielsen Company. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
  7. ^ a b Fleming, Michael (2007-11-08). "Mark Wahlberg to star in 'Max'". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
  8. ^ "Max Payne Filming Soon". IGN. News Corporation. 2008-02-01. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
  9. ^ Otto, Jeff. "Exclusive Max Payne Talk with Mila Kunis". ReelzChannel.com. ReelzChannel. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
  10. ^ http://kotaku.com/5046154/max-payne-director-pissed-about-r+rating-blames-batman-blowjob
  11. ^ Brevet, Brad (2008-10-01). "Latest MPAA Ratings: #124". RopeofSilicone. Retrieved 2008-10-01.
  12. ^ Gaudiosi, John. "Max Payne Director Wins Battle with MPAA, Gains PG-13 Rating". GameDaily. Retrieved 2008-09-26.
  13. ^ "Max Payne receives 15 rating by BBFC; film just under 100 minutes long". RockstarWatch. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
  14. ^ "Max Payne Movie Rated MA in Australia". RockstarWatch. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
  15. ^ Adler, Shawn (2008-06-17). "Mark Wahlberg Calls Max Payne The Most Complex Character He's Ever Played". MTV Movies Blog. MTV. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
  16. ^ a b Simmons, Leslie (2008-03-19). "Bridges joins Wahlberg in "Payne"". Reuters. The Thomson Corporation. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
  17. ^ Reid, Shaheem (2008-06-18). "Ludacris Prepares To Go From Theater Of The Mind To Movie Theaters". MTV.com. MTV. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
  18. ^ Sperling, Nicole (2008-04-02). "Chris O'Donnell lands role in 'Max Payne'". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
  19. ^ a b "Max Payne: The first great videogame movie?". gamesradar. Retrieved 2008-08-05. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |1= and |2= (help)
  20. ^ "Nelly Furtado to appear in 'Max Payne'". RockstarWatch. 2008-06-02. Retrieved 2008-07-29. {{cite journal}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  21. ^ "IGN: Max Payne Publicity Stills". IGN. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
  22. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2561177/. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  23. ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/max_payne/
  24. ^ http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081017/ENT02/810170385/1034/ENT02
  25. ^ "Max Payne". Urban Cinefile. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
  26. ^ "Max Payne". Australian Film Critics Association. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
  27. ^ "The Big Screen". Cinephilia. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
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