Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Michael Jennings (Ben Affleck) is a genius engineer who has his memory erased after every project to keep the clandestine projects he works on secret. When an old friend offers him a huge paycheck in exchange for three years of his life, Michael reluctantly agrees. But when he's finished with the project, instead of the $90 million promised, he's left with a group of unrelated objects as clues to discover the truth about the previous three years.

I did my best to check my brain at the door but ultimately failed. The premise, based on the short story by Phillip K. Dick, has some promise, but two things ruined it—Ben Affleck's horrendous acting and director John Woo's over-reliance on action, which takes a 90-minute subject and turns it into two hours. I like action movies as much as the next guy, but the believability factor was non-existent from the get-go.

For a catalog title, the AVC encode looks pretty good, with well-resolved colors, inky blacks, and excellent detail in both close-ups and long shots. There are a few instances of edge enhancement and inaccurate fleshtones—Paul Giamatti looks sickly compared to Affleck's golden skin—but otherwise, there isn't much to complain about.

The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack delivers an engaging experience, thanks to endless chase sequences, gun fights, and hand-to-hand exchanges that create an immersive environment. Sadly, these scenes are much louder than the dialog-intensive moments, requiring frequent use of the volume control on the remote. Nonetheless, the gunshots are crisp and the explosions rock the foundation, although the track is a little too front-heavy for this genre.

The bonus features are ported over from the DVD and include two commentaries, some deleted scenes, a featurette on the stunts, and another on adapting Dick's story to the silver screen, by far the best of the lot. I also found it interesting that the first choice for the lead was not Affleck, but his best friend Matt Damon.

I've never been a huge fan of John Woo, and Paycheck cements my disdain for his supposed talent as a director. Sure, the guy knows how to shoot an action scene, but he overwhelmingly underdelivers on the story. The A/V presentation is solid, the premise is promising, but keep your expectations low. Rent it.

Release Date: May 19, 2009
Studio: Paramount

Movie: 5/10
Picture: 8/10
Sound: 8/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics