Max Payne
Max Payne (Mark Wahlberg) is a maverick cop determined to track down those responsible for the brutal murders of his family and partner. Hell-bent on revenge, his obsessive investigation takes him on a journey into a dark underworld where he is forced to battle enemies beyond the natural world. As he investigates a series of mysterious murders that could be tied to the death of his wife and child, he discovers there are forces, both real and beyond imagination, that are conspiring to keep a devastating truth hidden. Joining Payne in this strange otherworld are Mona Sax (Mila Kunis), a beautiful Russian mobster and assassin; her wild-child younger sister Natasha (Olga Kurylenko), Detective Jim Bravura (Chris Ludacris Bridges), and Max"s mentor, BB (Beau Bridges). 'This film is not Minimum Payne or Medium Payne, it"s Max Payne,' sums up John Moore, the Dublin-born former advertising director who"s fast climbing the Hollywood ladder. Moore, a gifted visual stylist who received serious acclaim for his debut, 'Behind Enemy Lines" in 2005, uses subjective camera in the film - putting the audience directly in Payne"s world and in his head, as well as the use of state-of-the-art slow-motion cameras which hurtle audiences along on a roller-coaster ride of action, mystery and supernatural-tinged imagery. The video game 'Max Payne" enjoyed its global debut in 2001; a sequel game, 'Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne", followed in 2003. Critics and fans lauded the game"s stylish choreography and cinematic nature, its dark, edgy scenes and slow-motion gunfights played out like a graphic novel with film noir influences. Few games translate well to the big screen, but from its inception, it seemed as though the story of the hard-boiled cop out for revenge was destined to be played out on the big screen. The filmmakers and studio entertained hundreds of story pitches until first-time screenwriter Beau Thorne came up with a take on the material that resonated with all. The otherwordly elements added by Thorne include a winged demon that threatens Payne and dispatches others to an unimaginable fate. Drawn from Norse mythology, the demon Valkyrie represents a critical clue in Max"s pursuit of those who destroyed his family. Throughout the story, the demon - or elements of it - permeates the action: we hear the thunderous pounding of enormous flapping wings and get tantalising glimpses almost lost in the shadows. Stunningly shot in a 'colour noir" process, 'Max Payne" is a movie where the emphasis is more on style than substance. Like Decker in 'Blade Runner", Payne inhabits a city bathed in perpetual twilight where snow and rain are the constant climatic elements, a device that adds further to the film"s noir inclinations. Max likes leather in the form of a biker jacket - a fetish Mona follows suit on when she draws a machine gun from under her porn shop-style ensemble to blow away another baddie. Wahlberg plays Payne much like Bruce Willis in 'Sin City" - a 40s gangster-ish rasp and constant frown in keeping with the weather. Yet, for all of its shortcomings under the microscope of traditional storytelling, 'Max Payne" does actually manage to score heavily for its sheer gusto and dramatic exposition. The plot may only be skin-deep, but the action and atmosphere keeps the audience engaged regardless of how preposterous the scene becomes. Another major step upward for the Dublin-born Moore.