Today’s quick review: Max Payne. Obsessed with the unsolved murder of his wife and child, Max Payne (Mark Wahlberg), a police detective with a bad reputation, spends his nights tracking down the few remaining leads in the case. His investigation leads him to a hallucinogenic street drug and the community surrounding it. But when Max is tied to a pair of murders, his erratic behavior earns him the distrust of his fellow police.
Max Payne is a crime mystery with noir influences and a dash of action. Based on the video game series, Max Payne features a stern protagonist, a moody atmosphere, and slow-motion action scenes. The movie aims to be a dark revenge story, with Max as the only cop with the determination to see the case through to the end. However, the movie’s mediocre plot and back-loaded action keep it from holding any real interest.
Max Payne’s greatest strength is its atmosphere. Shadowy streets, flickering lights, and snow and rain give the movie the gloomy feeling of a noir. Throwing a touch of fantasy into the mix, the movie also shows glimpses of the winged figures hallucinated by the users of the drug. To top it all off, Max Payne has a handful of slow-motion shots that lend some elegance to the action. The result is a film with an unusually strong visual style.
Where Max Payne stumbles is its plot. The mystery Max is trying to solve never grips the viewer the way it is meant to. The supporting characters are not all that interesting, the drug subplot is more flash than substance, and none of the plot twists feel worthwhile. Ultimately the plot is a workmanlike one, fit for an action movie, in a film that wants it to be more.
Max Payne struggles on the action side as well. Nearly all the action scenes of note happen in the last half-hour of the film. The atmosphere and unfolding mystery help keep the tension up in the meantime, but one or two extra action scenes would have made the film more exciting without much cost to the plot. The action scenes themselves are fine, but the slow-motion shots aren’t enough to make them memorable.
Watch Max Payne when you are in the mood for an action movie and are willing to sacrifice writing for atmosphere. Max Payne manages to be a watchable and occasionally interesting film, but its flaws keep it from competing with the better entries in its genres. Most viewers would be better off watching Sin City for visual style, L.A. Confidential for crime mystery, or one of the many other action movies out there for action.
5.4 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 for good atmosphere, a lacking plot, and back-loaded action.