Film Review of Paycheck
Year: 2003 Reviewer: Chris Docker
What starts off as a reasonable fix for dedicated sci-fi addicts spins along quite reasonably for a while as Ben Affleck (a reverse technology engineer) does jobs that require having his memory wiped afterwards so he won't know how he hacked into competitors' technology. Of course it all goes a bit wrong and Uma Thurman joins in as a kick-ass biologist and love interest. Based on yet another story from fashionable sci-fi writer Philip K Dick, this would seem to have all the ingredients for an above average near-future escapade with overtones of Total Recall and Memento, but the addition of predictable box-office draws (fights, car chases and explosions), the removal of any trace of political or social comment, and a resultant plot with more bugs than Windows 95, dooms this undisciplined thriller to mediocrity.
Rating: 5/10
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