Director:
John Moore

Cast:
Mark Wahlberg
Mira Kunis
Beau Bridges
Chris "Ludacris" Bridges

Official URL:

http://www.maxpaynethemovies.com

Country: USA
Rating: PG-13
Studio Name: Twentieth Century Fox
Running Time: 2 hr 35 mins
Release Date: October 17, 2008

Critics's Rating:
(2 out of 4 Reels) 

October 17, 2008

By Veronica Mixon

Based on the video game by Sam Lake, Max Payne aptly captures the dark moodiness of a virtual world as we follow a Cold Case detective who is searching for the man who murdered his wife and baby. Mark Wahlberg plays Max with his usual deadpan express easily because this guy’s only emotion is rage.

There are great spooky visuals of a secret world of demons that float above everyone’s head and are only seen by a select few. After Max becomes a suspect in the murder of a drugged-out party girl (Olga Kurylenko Hitman), he teams up with her sister, Mona (Mira Kunis) to hunt a killer who may have links to his own tragedy. Meanwhile, longtime friend, BB (Beau Bridges) and an Internal Affairs detective played wonderfully by Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges try to add Max in his quest.

Despite the great look of the film, the cast has little to do because the plot hasn’t been developed past the video game playbook. This could have been a cool, sexy thriller instead of a paper thin excuse for a movie. Despite a good cast including veteran actor Bridges, Kate Burton as a cold business executive, Chris O’Donnell (Batman and Robin), Amaury Nolasco (TV’s Prison Break) and Jamey Hector (TV’s The Wire), the only surprise is Chris Bridge’s excellent portrayal of a cop. The rapper-turned-actor is believable as a wise cop and seems up to task of all of the action scenes. While Mark Wahlberg (The Departed) has developed nicely into a star, he still hasn’t fulfilled the promise of that young actor who appeared in Bogey Nights.

I’m still waiting for a film based on a graphic novel or video game to wow me. While I thought Sin City was beautiful stylish and impressive, it was also lurid. Max Payne, unfortunately, lacks the hint of greatness of that film and neither film introduces women in an interesting way. None of the women who aren’t victims of violence are mildly interesting and I’m guessing that is an important part of this strictly male genre. But, the story has to be truly compelling if the filmmakers want to reach a larger audience.

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