Payback: Straight Up

Most director’s cuts don’t differ much from the original, but Payback certainly is different. It reminded me of “The Regulators" and “Desperation", a literary experiment of Stephen King who wanted to prove that it’s enough to change a couple of things and the story is immediately different. Payback: It’s almost impossible to compare Straight Up and the original Payback. Both are excellent, but one has something the other hasn’t and the other has something that the first one hasn’t (the camera filter changes, the narration by the main protagonist disappears, the ending is completely different etc. etc.). The main protagonist Porter is endowed with a different dimension and in my humble opinion this is one of Mel Gibson’s best roles. Maybe even the best. I’m glad that Helgeland’s “original version" came out too in the end. Because it would have been a great shame if they were left in a warehouse collecting dust. (04/07/2007)

More proof that Mel Gibson used to play the tough guy like no one else. It's just like I don't much care for the original Payback, so I'm not ecstatic about Payback: Straight Up either. Brian Helgeland's tended baby is pleasantly straightforward and visually much more appealing, but all the negatives that make the original an overly confident and narratively failing mess are still present here. (14/05/2016)

I understand Helgeland. I understand why he struggled for seven long years to make sure that his directorial debut saw the light of day in the form that he imprinted on it and that it was not a matter of the producers trembling before the ratings. Payback: Straight Up is (like L.A. Confidential) a pure reference to the spirit of the traditional noir school, whose clear rules Helgeland follows with humble reverence all whilst paying homage to it in the way he handles the entire film. A principled man craving his share of the money, a beautiful femme fatale with a (dis)pleasing profession as a luxury prostitute, men of the law strictly breaking it for their own benefit, a sold-out wife, and a crooked colleague. Helgeland handles all the attributes simply, matter-of-factly, with an occasional measure of rough humor to temper the explosion of harsh violence that is often perpetrated against women. Mel Gibson embodies arguably his darkest, but given his look, perhaps most typical protagonist, one that is a far cry from any of his previous or later film characters and one that probably won't be fully appreciated by all audiences. Payback: Straight Up is a film that gives its title its full dimension, and should give hope to similarly "afflicted" directors in that creative freedom can be satisfying years later. Although it didn’t work out financially, the film will definitely win over the fan base. Thanks, Brian! (16/05/2007)

A grittier, darker and more cynical version of the 1999 film. Helgeland did what he wanted to do and with the Straight Up cut he gives a final goodbye to this neo-noir uber cool gangster one-shot that doesn't say much, but looks damn stylish throughout. (03/11/2021)