Search - Payback - The Director's Cut (Special Collector's Edition) on DVD


Payback - The Director's Cut (Special Collector's Edition)
Payback - The Director's Cut
Special Collector's Edition
Actors: Mel Gibson, Gregg Henry, Maria Bello, David Paymer, Bill Duke
Director: Brian Helgeland
Genres: Action & Adventure, Drama, Mystery & Suspense
UR     2007     1hr 30min

Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 05/06/2008

     

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Movie Details

Actors: Mel Gibson, Gregg Henry, Maria Bello, David Paymer, Bill Duke
Director: Brian Helgeland
Genres: Action & Adventure, Drama, Mystery & Suspense
Sub-Genres: Crime, Mel Gibson, Drama, Mystery & Suspense
Studio: Paramount
Format: DVD - Color,Widescreen
DVD Release Date: 04/10/2007
Original Release Date: 04/10/2007
Theatrical Release Date: 04/10/2007
Release Year: 2007
Run Time: 1hr 30min
Screens: Color,Widescreen
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 0
Edition: Collector's Edition
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Languages: English
Subtitles: English
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Movie Reviews

A good movie done went and got great!
Jason | Mount Juliet Tennessee United States | 04/11/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Like one review has already stated maybe one reason this movie didnt recieve all the glory it deserved is maybe american movie audience wasnt ready to see Mel Gibson in such a dark roll,thats my take on it to.Now with this unrated directors version its even better,gone is blue filter over the picture replaced with a remasterd version which colors are vibrant,crisp,its really has a great picture quality,its more vilolent and to the point,gone is Mel's voice over(which also makes it better),its got a completely new musical score,basicly the story is the same but its told diffrent with a completly new ending.There's also really great special features that includes a 30min piece on why and how this directors cut was made.I'm glad the director finally got his movie and way to go paramount this is not some hoax special edition like so many others its a diffrent kind of film a special edition worth picking up for sure...way to go Paramount"
Mel Gibson's lost kick-butt movie found
Flipper Campbell | Miami Florida | 04/17/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)

"The best action movie I've seen this year isn't in theaters. You may think you've seen it, but probably haven't. "Payback" is back, this time the way the director envisioned the film, not the suits. "You don't make pictures for the elite," producer/star Mel Gibson says today, explaining why Paramount and Warner Bros. took the noirish gangland movie away from freshman director Brian Helgeland. After 10 days of reshoots, a new final (third) act was tacked on, voiceover was added a la "Blade Runner" and Kris Kristofferson walked on as a new major character. Audiences still were amazed how brutal the Gibson character was when they had to "Get ready to root for the bad guy," as the marketing had it.

Same old story about artists and Hollywood, but this time came a happier ending. In 2005, Paramount and Gibson gave Helgeland another shot at the film, eight years after its release. The tapes turned up missing, so Helgeland and his editor recut the film using film. And so we have "Payback: Straight Up -- the Director's Cut."

Now, this is one hard-boiled movie. Gibson plays a criminal who comes back to town looking for the partner who stole half his loot, and his wife, following a heist. Along the way he single-handedly takes on both the syndicate and Asian drug dealers, slugs a woman (a scene the studios cut), and stirs up a John Woo-like shootout as the bloody finale. Supporting actors Lucy Liu, Gregg Henry and Maria Bello all do fine work.

There are multiple DVD extras, including a director's commentary, but the one to catch is the half-hour "Same Story -- Different Movie," all about the film's resurrection. Audio and video are sharp on the DVD -- and better on high definition discs, although in places the colors seem a bit too jacked up for a gritty, bleach-bypass film. "Payback" comes from the same book as "Point Blank" with Lee Marvin, an even better film from 1969."
Alternate version worth taking a look at!
Terrence Aybar | New York City | 05/18/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you're a fan of Payback at all, I think it's imperative that you watch this version not only because of how differently it plays out but because it is a great opportunity to see how a director's vision can be compromised by the studio system.

From the very beginning, you know you're in different waters when the tone of the film settles in. They do away with the voice over and there is far less humor in this version. Instead of the blue tinted palatte of the original, this film has a more lush and natural quality to it. The character of Porter (Mel Gibson) in this version is even more brutal and cold blooded, which is a big reason as to why the film was asked to be recut by the studio. I watched both versions back to back and I think I can say that this new version is almost like watching an entirely different movie. I like them both equally and this new version really adds to the experience.

That being said, this HD-DVD has several great supplementary features that should make your day. One in particular is a half hour doc that goes into why Brian Helgeland's original cut was rejected by the studio and contains insightful comments by key members of the cast and crew, including Mel Gibson himself who I have to give credit to for being involved with restoring this version and giving a genuinely humbling interview. The picture on this disc looks great and the sound really kicks in during scenes of gunfire and general action. I strongly recommend it, especially if you like the original cut!"
A definite new cut....
lordhoot | Anchorage, Alaska USA | 04/14/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)

"Well, for once we have a movie that really is a new cut according to the director's wishes and not just add on to the movie. This is a superb hard hitting Mel Gibson movie that won a lot of fans when it was released. It seems to get better with age. No need to waste time time going over the plot since anyone reading this would know it already. But now, we have an "original" version of this film on this DVD. This DVD edition of Payback is considerably different from the version we saw in the theaters as well as the DVD that came out since then (in 1999 I believe). Not only the last 30% of the movie have been totally altered but there have been cuts and additions along the first 70% of the film. But the basic story still remains the same, just the plot twists and turned differently.

I read that this original version was to have been the version to appears in the theaters but it didn't reviewed well initially so entire last part of the film was reshot, creating Kris Kristofferson's role as the leader of the bad guys and his demise. But in this original, Kristofferson's character never appears and the original concept of a woman boss who is never seen, voiced by Sally Kellerman according to the credits and the ending is totally different from the theaterial version. Outside of the outright changes in the scenes, the blue tint of the theaterial version have been removed as well as Mel Gibson's voice over.

I watched both movies back to back just to see which one I like the best. I hate to write this but I had a hard time making up my mind on this. Both versions are pretty good and each version, ironically, carried great deal of merits. I really wish that both versions could be merge into one!! This is really subjective depending on the viewer's taste and understanding of the movie. But if I have to pick, I would perfer the theaterial version because its darker, more tighter and I like seeing Kris Kristofferson in a meaty role. The theater's version also put a finale to the story while the "original" version leave a loose ends since that female boss is still out there seeking payback of her own. Above all the theater's version make Porter more human and vulnerable while the "original" version make him more slick and super agent like.

But each viewer have to decide on their own on this one. I enjoyed the "original" version but maybe not as much as I enjoyed the theater version. Each to his own as they say.

I should also say that this "original" version is also 11 minutes shorter then the theaterial version, reflecting a shorter ending of the "original" to the theaterial version.

The DVD come with a well presented quality in its images and sounds. It come with several extras including a very interesting one that tell the story behind the difference between the theaterial version and the "original" version. The DVD is well worth the price to pick up by any fan of this film since both versions are pretty good and it matter of taste which one might be better."