Paycheck

"The future depends on a past he was paid to forget."

2003 1h 59m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 2,136

ActionScience FictionThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Michael Jennings is a genius who's hired – and paid handsomely – by high-tech firms to work on highly sensitive projects, after which his short-term memory is erased so he's incapable of breaching security. But at the end of a three-year job, he's told he isn't getting a paycheck and instead receives a mysterious envelope. In it are clues he must piece together to find out why he wasn't paid – and why he's now in hot water.

“The future depends on a past he was paid to forget.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Ben Affleck
Michael Jennings
Aaron Eckhart
James Rethrick
Uma Thurman
Rachel Porter
Paul Giamatti
Shorty
Colm Feore
John Wolfe
Joe Morton
Agent Dodge
Michael C. Hall
Agent Klein
Peter Friedman
Attorney General Brown

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Woo
Writers: Dean Georgaris, Raymond Dumas, Marc Marcum
Languages: English
Countries: Canada, United States of America, Hong Kong

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $60M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 23 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Canada, United States of America, Hong Kong.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CAST

Did you know

285+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Woo, shot by Jeffrey L. Kimball. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Powell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Christopher Rouse shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Ben Affleck and Aaron Eckhart and Uma Thurman carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Woo directs. Jeffrey L. Kimball behind the camera. John Powell scores. Christopher Rouse cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in Canada, United States of America, Hong Kong. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $60M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Released 23 years ago.
3International production across 3 countries: Canada, United States of America, Hong Kong.
4285+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
5Directed by John Woo, shot by Jeffrey L. Kimball. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by John Powell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Christopher Rouse shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Ben Affleck and Aaron Eckhart and Uma Thurman carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "The future depends on a past he was paid to forget.".
10IMDB entry: tt0338337 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 12 themes, including "amnesia", "prophecy", "technology", "engineer".
12Released under 11 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jeffrey L. Kimball
Original score: John Powell
Editing: Christopher Rouse
Production design: William Sandell
Costume design: Erica Edell Phillips
Makeup / hair: Thom McIntyre
VFX supervisor: Chris Bond
Sound: Alan Rankin
Stunt coordinator: Gregg Smrz
Runtime: 119 min · 1h 59m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $60,000,000
Box office: $117,248,958
Return: 195% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Paycheck (2003)

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John Woo

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What people are saying

Rob2023-06-24
★ 4/10
Oh dear, this one's pretty bad. There are a lot of faces in this movie but non of them could save this disaster. Which is a shame, because this could have been a really intense and thrilling film in the hands of a different director. Instead, it comes across as a made-for-TV movie. John Woo's direction is lacklustre and cliche, the editing is lazy and the soundtrack is overblown, unfitting and downright intrusive.

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