Rating of
2/4
Another Payne-ful Video Game Adaptation
Chris Kavan - wrote on 11/06/08
Max Payne has a lot in common with another video-turned-film that I recently saw: Hitman. Both have plenty of action, but suffer from lack of plot, questionable casting and do nothing to sway me that any video game needs to be turned into a movie ever again.
I still don't think Max Payne is the worst video game adaptation, nor do I think it's probably the worst movie this year. However, it does a lot more wrong than right, and won't convert either fans of the original video game or fans of action movies in general. There isn't enough action to satisfy those suffering from severe levels of testosterone, and there's not enough in common with the game to keep fanboys happy.
What you're left with is a murky story - depressing detective searching for the one man who got away after murdering his family, a drug that makes people see some crazy things, some kind of Russian mob girl trying to solve her sister's murder and it's all tied to a drug company hiding secrets. As things went on, I kept imagining a big board with a bunch of ideas on them and a room full of blindfolded writers throwing darts at said board.
Worse than the story is the seemingly random casting choices. I have no problem with Mark Wwhlberg, he can play a tough guy when he wants, but he never really works as Max Payne. Likewise, Mila Kunis (you know, from That 70s Show) is even more perplexing as some kind of Russian mob girl with a love for large guns. Beau Bridges can't even raise his game. It's pretty scary when the best casting choice is Ludacris.
With two big hits against it, Max Payne can't rise above mediocrity, which, for a video game adaptation, still happens to be pretty good. Still, after all this time, you would think SOMEONE could get a video game right. Sadly, Max Payne is not the movie to change this trend.
