Call it lazy or savvy, but nothing seems to get a movie studio wet like a video game adaptation (except maybe a comic book adaptation). Let’s for a moment look at the film industry through the eyes of a cynic – most of these adaptations have been shit. Some so bad that speaking their name actually gives you an STD, that is no lie.
Somewhere between the abominations and the slam-dunks lies one, highly anticipated film:
Max Payne.
First it’s best to preface this review with a very important caveat: would you go to MacDonald’s for Beef Bourgignon and then complain when you get a Cheeseburger? No, of course not. So it’s worth remembering that
Max Payne, is first and foremost, an action film.
And as an action film it delivers above and beyond your stylistic expectations. Which, for anyone who played the game back in the early 00s, is a relief. The game was, and still is in many respects, a breakthrough in design and cinematography. It featured a sleek mash-up of film noir and Hong Kong action – or to use a sexier metaphor, it was one red-hot Eurasian. The film stays true to this style at its core, but also experiments above and beyond to give the die-hard game fans something new to appreciate. Visually, the
Max Payne film does what many action films are too lazy to do: engage the viewer even when no one is getting shot, shagged or stabbed.
In every act the film confidently dances between nods to the game (a great example of this is the Roscoe Street Station scene) and a completely fresh take. It’s no easy balancing act and full points are rewarded to the filmmakers for nailing this beautifully.
Mark Wahlberg in the title role is as brooding and rugged as you’d hope. He even manages to save some of the otherwise trite dialogue (maybe his brilliant performance in
The Departed lets you forgive him anything?). Wahlberg is joined by a capable cast of some familiar faces (Beau Bridges, Chris O’Donnell) and one, Olga Kurylenko (AKA the new Bond Girl AKA too-hot-to-look-at-without-protective-eyewear). They give a cumulative performance - despite some difficulties - that does their respective careers no disservice; in a word they deliver.
When it comes to the plot
Max Payne reveals its Achilles heel. Perhaps it’s harder to adapt a film-like game to film than a game completely void of narrative? Whatever the reason,
Max Payne truly did loose the plot (so much so it deserves such a lame play on words). Moviegoers happy to lap up obvious signposts and dialogue in return for solid gunplay and SFX won’t be bothered. Others with a slightly more discerning palette may find it frustrating to be guided through the plot by bright green strip lighting.
That said, if you can sit through 85 minutes of slight discomfort, you will be rewarded. The last 15 minutes of
Max Payne is packed full of dazzling special effects, fight sequences and style. It skilfully dresses up the action without sacrificing any of the grit; a very tricky feat indeed.
Not quite a film with style
and substance, but one still worth your cash – even if you’re not a mad fan of the game.
Max Payne is in cinemas October 16th. Check out our Max Payne giveaway and you could share in more that $5,000 in prizes.
By Annie Fox