Release: 10.17.08
DVD Release: 01.20.09
Rated PG-13
1 hour, 40 minutes
Group Rental ($)
Today, Max Payne releases on DVD. Since some of you will be swinging by your local rental store, Redbox or rearranging your NFQ, here's the gist. Max Payne (Mark Wahlberg, Shooter) is a NYC DEA agent out for revenge against the brutal murder of his family. During his investigation, Max encounters Mona Sax (Mila Kunis, Forgetting Sarah Marshall), an assassin out to avenge her sister's murder by the same conspirators. As Payne hunts, the cops, the killers and the mob seek to shut him down.
Four Brothers, The Departed, Shooter. Wahlberg's film career was looking up until 2008. Then came M. Night Shyamalan's "The Crappening" and things turned sour. I came out of that film thinking, at least he's got Max Payne coming. It did turn out better...barely.
After the dark and dreary opening, audiences are treated to a sexy, slinky Natasha (Olga Kurylenko, Hitman) trying to seduce the single-minded Payne. That scene really gets the blood pumping for greater things to come; things that never come. What does follow is a plodding story in which Wahlberg mostly sulks in the rain. But that's more than we get from Kunis, who just stands and stares and stares. The few action sequences are bloated by slow- motion visuals and effects which steal even more minutes from your life you'll never get back.It was nice to see Donal Logue (Blade) working. I'd have liked to see Kurylenko and Kunis actually been given something to do. 2009 is all about hope. Let's hope Wahlberg's future films aren't like this.
P.S.- The Unrated DVD adds only three minutes to the runtime. Director John Moore made Max Payne with the PG-13 rating in mind so don't expect much. Moore was actually quite miffed when it initially received an R-rating from the MPAA. Read more.
