Payback
Short description
Porter, a small-time criminal who works for himself, joins forces with Val Resnick, a man with ties to a larger criminal organization. Their robbery of money belonging to Chinese gangsters goes wrong when Val takes the proceeds for himself and Porter's wife Lynn helps him, leaving Porter shot and abandoned. Porter survives, and five months later he resurfaces to recover what was taken from him. Val has used the money to buy his way into the Organization, which now stands between Porter and what he is owed.
Mel Gibson plays Porter, with Gregg Henry as Val Resnick, Deborah Kara Unger as Lynn Porter, Maria Bello as Rosie, David Paymer as Arthur Stegman and Bill Duke as Detective Hicks. Brian Helgeland directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Terry Hayes; Bruce Davey produced. It was Helgeland's first film as director, followed by A Knight's Tale, The Order, Payback: Straight Up, 42, Legend and Finestkind.
Made for about 90 million dollars, the film took in roughly 162 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 7 out of 10 from about 153,000 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 6.8 from a much smaller base of around 2,000. The critics' rating of 6.5 from 77 reviews places it close to the audience scores, suggesting a broadly similar reception on both sides.
What's left behind the scenes
- Throughout the entire film, Mel Gibson's character's first name is never mentioned; everyone refers to him by his last name – Porter. When Resnick is asked about Porter's first name, he replies: "I don't know. He always calls himself Porter."
- Kevin Stitt and Brian Helgeland edited the new version of the film in 2005.
- Porter's pistol is a Smith & Wesson Model 27 .357.
- The bar where Val meets Stegman is called "At Warrick's," which is a reference to Walter Matthau's film "Charley Varrick" (1973).
- Reshoots of the film led to a year-long delay in its release.
- Deborah Kara Unger broke two ribs while filming the scene where Porter (Mel Gibson) violently beats her.
- Scott Stambler wrote some of the music for the theatrical version of the film and also participated in the work on the director's cut. He recorded completely new music for the film in February 2006.
- In the director's cut, Porter (Mel Gibson) fires 13 shots from a six-chambered pistol.
- Brian Helgeland was fired by the studio two days after receiving an "Oscar" for "L.A. Confidential."
- In an interview with a Hong Kong newspaper, Mel Gibson admitted that John Moore was responsible for the film's reshoots.
- After Brian Helgeland left the project, approximately one-third of the film was reshot.
- Almost all the phones in the film are rotary dial, not push-button.
- The main change made to the film after Brian Helgeland's departure was making Chris Christopherson the primary villain.
- Sally Kellerman voiced Bronson in the director's cut of the film. The audience only hears her voice, but does not see this character. In the theatrical version of the film, Chris Kristofferson played this character.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
