Paycheck

Michael Jennings is an engineer who takes on secret projects for technology companies and is paid well for them. Each contract ends with his memory of the work being wiped, so he cannot pass on what he has learned. His latest assignment, for an old acquaintance named Rethrick, has lasted three years. When it ends, he is told he gave up his fee and is handed an envelope instead of payment. Inside are ordinary objects that turn out to be clues to the missing years. With help from Rachel, a colleague he has become involved with, he tries to piece together what happened while avoiding the employer who does not want him to remember.

The film is a John Woo picture, the fifteenth of the twenty-two he has directed in chronological order, following Windtalkers and preceding All the Invisible Children. Dean Georgaris wrote the screenplay, and Woo produced with John Davis and Terence Chang. Ben Affleck plays Jennings, with Uma Thurman as Rachel, Aaron Eckhart as Rethrick, Paul Giamatti as Shorty, Colm Feore as Wolfe and Joe Morton as Agent Dodge. It was made for about 60 million dollars and took roughly 117 million worldwide.

On IMDb it holds 6.3 out of 10 from around 118,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.2 from about 2,100. A critics' score of 5 out of 10 from 151 reviews puts it close to the audience figures.