First and foremost, it is imperative for me to mention that I am a fan of the game. I have played it from beginning to end and have stayed awake for days on end doing so. Thus, when they decided to make a movie based on the game, I was amused, curious and skeptical all at the same time.
Now I don’t want to dwell on how good the game was with its perfect interplay of story and wild, unabashed and unadulterated violence. But the movie, because of its gaming background deserves two very separate reviews: firstly, for those who dedicated midnight hours to the original game and secondly for those who just know Max Payne as a movie with Mark Wahlberg in it.
For the uninitiated: Firstly, ignore the review below, it’ll only confuse you. Secondly, Max Payne is a take on the phrase ‘Maximum Pain’ in case you had not figured it out already. Thirdly, if you’re a fan of mindless action flicks like Hitman (which, incidentally, was also based on a game), there is a good chance this will entertain you.
It suffers from all the basic flaws of a bullet-ridden movie plot but thankfully the special effects team really came through, delivering direct unapologetic entertainment. Don’t think too deep, don’t analyse, just go with the flow and you’ll quite like this adrenaline pumped experience.
Rating : 6.5/10
For the initiated: Avoid, avoid, avoid. If you truly loved the game, you’ll pull your hair out before the popcorn break. The movie, though pretty accurate to the original plot, reeks of predictability and comes across as somewhat lackluster. The dramatics and violence are toned down as compared to the game, where there are bullets fired at every half open door way or creaky staircase. This dampener simply blows.
To be fair, the film-makers have maintained the dark and gloomy, constantly snowy, comic book-doomsday narrative and the slow-motion sequences, that were the cream of the game, are also pretty decently done. But the buck truly stops there. I again warn you to avoid it – you’ll be caught in a constant comparative battle and that’s just a bad way to watch a movie. But I know that some might still go ahead and watch this film, because you ’simply had to!’ So, for them, Max Payne all the way!
Rating: 5/10
- Daaku Daddy
