Max Payne is a man with nothing to lose. Based on the highly-popular computer game of the same name, Max Payne is a dark action thriller that shows what happens when a man is pushed to the limit. Having lost his wife, his baby girl, and even his work partner, Payne has lost everything. Mark Wahlberg stars as titular maverick cop who journeys into the dark underworld to avenge the brutal murder of his family. And just like the game, he is assisted by Mona Sax (Mila Kunis), who is also out to avenge the killing of her sister Natasha.
Instantly noticeable is the movie’s noir feel, reminiscent of graphic novels and keeping in line with the feel of the computer game. Scenes are rendered beautifully, with snowflakes and rain appearing almost fantasy-like. The gloomy feel of the movie connects us to Payne’s world, which is filled with regret, sadness and pain. Even the opening is dramatic, with Payne sinking into a dark, icy lake, narrating, “There's an army of bodies under this river, people who ran out of time, out of friends. I could feel the dead down there, reaching up to welcome me as one of their own. It was an easy mistake to make.” He is filled with revenge, and throughout the movie he is obsessed with hunting down those responsible.
A large portion of the movie revolves around the drug Valkyr, widely used in the underworld, which is said to increase one’s strength and also eliminate fear. An unfortunate side effect of the drug is hallucinations, with most users seeing ghastly things flying above them. The movie has a semi-detective-style approach to it, and slowly the connection between Valkyr and the killing of Payne’s family is revealed.
The film features a wide cast of talents like Chris O’Donnell, and Amaury Nolasco, the latter shines especially as the terrifying Jack Lupino, a former soldier obsessed with the power of Valkyr. Others include Donal Logue as Payne’s partner Alex Balder and the beautiful Olga Kurylenko as Natasha. Interesting additions are the talents of Ludacris and Nelly Furtado, who usually have more to do with singing than acting. They blend well with their roles and add a bit of flavour to the movie. There are many suspicious characters, and you might not guess who the actual culprit behind the conspiracy is.
There is a lot of tribute to the game. ‘Bullet-time’, made popular by The Matrix and highly used in the game, is done wonderfully in Max Payne. From firing a shotgun in super slow-mo to gunning down an entire squad of baddies, it is used to good effect in action scenes. Even certain key scenes are faithfully reproduced, like the revolving scene in which Payne returns home and discovers his wife and baby daughter killed. And just like the game, he gets an exciting array of awesome weapons with seemingly never-ending ammo.
A blend of spectacular visuals, suspense and thrilling action, Max Payne should appeal to action fans looking for something a little out of the ordinary, and for fans of the game, this is definitely not a movie to miss. Mark Wahlberg may not look a lot like Max Payne, but in this movie he certainly fills that role well.
3.5 Stars (Out of 5)
