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Movie: Max Payne
Director: John Moore
Actors: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Beau Bridges, Ludacris, Chris O'Donnell, Amaury Nolasco, Olga Kurylenko
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Max Payne is another attempt to adapt a popular video game. After the okay Doom and the failure called Hitman, it's now Max Payne's turn with Mark Wahlberg as the depressive cop who is determined to track down the ones who killed his family. His obsessive investigation brings him in contact with drug addicts who might carry valuable information to solve the case. But it leads him deeper into the world of drugs, in which hallucination and reality are becoming one.
First of all, the trailer for Max Payne sets up a totally different film than I expected. And this time I wasn't pleasantly surprised by the good ol' switcheroo. The emphasis of the flick doesn't revolve around the supernatural, which the trailer suggests, but takes a different turn, which centers on a murder conspiracy that you're able to figure out early on in the film. Director John Moore postpones the action in his modern film-noir a bit too long. And in this case, action is essential for a movie that is based on a video game, right?! John Moore is also known for his visual style, unfortunately the over-stylized images somehow distance you from the story. And when the action finally starts, the pace is being brought down quite a bit by ultra slow motion shoot outs. It once again proofs that John Woo or The Wachowski's are one of the few who know how to use this technique effectively.
Max Payne has its cool moments though, thanks to nice visual effects and interesting cinematography, but overall, it still is an average cop thriller with a way too familiar story line and so-so performances by Wahlberg, Ludacris and Beau Bridges.
Written by Reggy 15/10/08
© fox 2008
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