PAYBACK - Blu-ray review

How is this for a complete Blu-ray release title: "Payback: Straight Up: The Director's Cut: Special Collector's Edition?" A mouthful, isn't it? The Blu-ray release of "Payback" and the equivalent releases on HD-DVD and standard definition DVD mark an interesting chapter in the annals of home video releases. The director's cut of "Payback" is essentially an entirely new film created from the original film dailies. The film was re-cut and given an entirely different look. An entirely new theatrical score was created and the film's director, Brian Helgeland, was given a rare opportunity – he was able to revisit his picture and make the film he had originally wanted and not the version he was pressured to release into theaters to secure the maximum profit possible from box office receipts.

When "Payback" was released into theaters on February 5, 1999, the film was not the vision that Brian Helgeland had kept in his mind. "Payback" was to be a violent and gritty picture that found star Mel Gibson being far less than charming and not the Mel Gibson that theater goers were expecting. The film was intended to be dark and far less humorous than what was released theatrically. In fact, the film released to theaters was completed by Mel Gibson and not Brian Helgeland. After initial screenings and meetings with studio brass, Gibson was handed the reigns and Helgeland was ousted. A noteworthy scene between Mel Gibson and Deborah Kara Unger was completely removed because Hollywood didn't think the general public was ready to see Mel Gibson brutalize a pretty girl; regardless of how doped up said female was. Gibson also removed a scene featuring the death of a dog named after the film's main character. Another major difference is that the film's entire third act was changed by Gibson and resulted in Kris Kristofferson shooting a few scenes and a more uplifting ending.

Nearly eight years later, with Gibson and Paramount's blessings, Helgeland is finally able to show the public the film he had always wanted to create. After watching both versions of the film, my personal preference is for that of the new Director's Cut of "Payback," with a subtitle of "Straight Up." The film is far edgier, far more menacing and Mel Gibson's character is more clearly defined as a man driven for not just revenge, but the collecting of his seventy thousand dollars. The film is nearly fifteen minutes shorter in "Straight Up" form and removes many of the cheekier lines and moments where Mel Gibson antagonizes the sons of the "Boss." The reordering of the film's scenes allows for the double cross between Deborah Kara Unger and Gregg Henry's characters to be revealed in a far timelier manner. Brian Helgeland's vision was a stark contrast to the more lighthearted and action filled theatrical release. "Payback: Straight Up" is a better study of the character of Porter and his pure drive to get what is rightfully his.

The film of the plot doesn't change too drastically. Porter (Mel Gibson) is double-crossed by his wife Lynn (Deborah Kara Unger) and his friend and business partner Val Resnick (Gregg Henry). Resnick owes the local crime syndicate a sizable amount of money and the only way he can repay the debt on his head is to murder Porter and take the $70,000 share that belongs to Porter. Amazingly, the multiple bullet wounds are not enough to kill Porter and after a long healing process, he embarks on a bloody mission to get back his share of the heist and deal with the double-crossing Val Resnick and his wife Lynn. Resnick no longer has hold of the money, and Porter must move up the crime syndicate's corporate ladder and eliminate each rung on his way up. Porter must deal with a nasty dominatrix (Lucy Liu) who is partner of sorts to Porter, but also make amends and enroll the help of an ex-girlfriend, Rosie (Maria Bello).

I enjoyed "Payback" in its original film, but considered it an average entry in the crime/action genre. "Payback: Straight Up" is a definite improvement and a good example of modern film noire. It is darker and more mean spirited than the original. Some of the laughs remain, but they are far and few between. In "Payback: Straight Up," Porter is a violent S.O.B. and has no problem inflicting pain or death on somebody that stands in his way. Mel Gibson no longer has the healthy image he did when "Payback" was released and with his recent woes in the public spotlight, it is an easier pill to swallow for the public to view him as a villain or anti-hero. He deserves credit for working with Paramount to give Brian Helgeland the opportunity to make this new version of the film. It isn't uncommon for a studio to take control of a film, but when they do, the results are not always for the better. "Payback" was one instance where the director truly did know best and this injustice has been corrected.

Video:
"Payback: Straight Up" had to be recut from the original elements. These were stored in various film canisters and no digital master existed. Helgeland and editor Kevin Stitt did not have the ability to recut from digital and were forced to return to the old ways of cutting from film. The theatrical released used a bleaching process, but was heavily tinted in blue hues. The new director's cut uses a less intrusive bleaching process and retains far more color than the theatrical release contained. It only takes a second to see that "Payback: Straight Up" is a completely different film than "Payback," as it takes on a completely different visual composition. With its newfound colors, the film is far more colorful and far more visually appealing.

The new transfer of "Payback: Straight Up" holds up rather nicely on the high definition Blu-ray transfer (and its nearly identical HD-DVD release). The level of detail is striking. I feel fairly certain that the process of cutting "Payback: Straight Up" from film and creating a brand new film from the master materials allowed for a strong level of detail and thankfully, the source materials held up strongly, as "Payback" is clean and without any noticeable blemishes on the Blu-ray format. Black level of the 1:85:1 MPEG-2/1080p widescreen film is strong and perfectly compliments the mildly bleached look of the film. Comparing the Blu-ray release to the original standard definition DVD releases was truly like comparing apples to oranges, as the films underwent entirely different post-production processes, but "Payback: Straight Up" on Blu-ray is a huge improvement. Comparing the HD-DVD release to the Blu-ray release shows that the HD-DVD has a very minor advantage in color reproduction. It is hardly noticeable, but the Blu-ray variant of "Payback: Straight Up" just looked more bleached.

Sound:
The soundtrack portion of "Payback: Straight Up" is completely reworked as well. Director Brian Helgeland turned to his musical editor Scott Stambler to create an entirely new theme for the title sequence. This work resulted in Stambler completely rescoring the entire picture. While I did enjoy the new theme song, I felt the new theatrical score was far less impressive than what was contained in the theatrical release. The new score is an exercise in minimalism when compared to the grander theatrical release. Stambler has not done a bad job with "Payback: Straight Up," but the theatrical release was just a more dynamic and enveloping soundtrack and much of this is attributed to the original score.

The soundtrack has also been fully reworked and mastered to Dolby Digital 5.1 multi-channel surround. This is a quite rewarding soundtrack, as the dynamics of the soundtrack are just as detailed as the Blu-ray's visuals. The film does not possess a lot of aggressive moments, but what sounds do accompany the action on-screen are so finely detailed, the actors sound as if they are talking right beside you. Bullet casings can be heard bouncing off the concrete during the film's final act, where Porter must face a number of assassins to claim his seventy thousand dollars. Comparing the film to its original version is another exercise in trying to judge different produce. The theatrical score was more impactful, but the mix is cleaner and better engineered. The Blu-ray release is identical to the HD-DVD release in sound quality.

Extras:
Brian Helgeland was given a second chance to make the film he wanted and he lived to tell about it in the Commentary by Writer/Director Brian Helgeland. The director points out the various differences between the two films and at times is critical of the decisions and other times sympathetic. He offers up anecdotes on the making of both versions and comes across as warm and intelligent in his commentary. This was a very good listen. Paybacks are a Bitch is broken down into two parts, On Location in Chicago (30:01) and On Set in Los Angeles (19:38). They can be played separately or together with a "Play All" option. These documentaries combine footage from the original shooting and presented by Helgeland in more recent interview footage. This was a nice Behind-the-Scenes feature that was all the more interesting because of the two films that resulted from the shoot.

The absolute best supplement on the high definition disc is Same Story, Different Movie: Creating Payback the Director's Cut (28:52). Featuring new interview footage with director Brian Helgeland, this is a wonderful look at the two different versions and the reasoning behind the theatrical release and the painstaking process that was undertaken to bring the Director's Cut to life. A very bushy-bearded Mel Gibson is also involved in this documentary and kudos to Gibson for helping make this happen. The editing, cinematic score and other details of "Payback: Straight Up" are discussed in this nice feature. The final supplement, aside from some Previews is The Hunter: A Conversation with Author Donald E. Westlake (10:46). Westlake details the story and his memories of creating the book.

Closing Comments:
"Payback: Straight Up" is the rare occurrence of a studio allowing a filmmaker to right a wrong caused by the Hollywood system. Brian Helgeland was stripped of his directorial duties when "Payback" was in post production and Mel Gibson and a large number of reshoots created a "Payback" that was far from the picture Helgeland intended. Although "Payback" is a good film in its own right, this new director's cut is a superior effort. Far grittier and straightforward in its storytelling and with a completely different third, this newly created film is an all new experience. The visuals are greatly improved over the older standard definition release of the theatrical version, but sound is a mixed bag. Of course, this is comparing apples to oranges, as the releases contain two different films. The supplements nicely detail the differences between the two releases and the painstaking process of bringing Brian Helgeland's version of the film to fruition. The only complaint I have with this release is that the theatrical version was not included on the flip side of the disc.