This intense action thriller will be recalled for its exciting visuals and relentless action rather than its acting.
Comment
10/17/08
Max Payne (2008)
18
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:124
Fresh:22
Rotten:102
Average Rating:3.8/10
Consensus: While it boasts some stylish action, Max Payne suffers severely from an illogical plot and overdirection.
Australian Theatrical Release:
Oct 16, 2008 Wide
US Box Office: $40,632,110
Synopsis: Rockstar Games' antihero Max Payne gets his own movie with this video game adaptation. Mark Wahlberg (THE DEPARTED) plays the titular cop who is still trying to get over the death of his family... [More]
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Beau Bridges, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges
Director: John Moore
Reviews for Max Payne
1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; Australian critics are listed first)
Top CriticThough the film's action scenes won't win awards for originality, they can't be faulted for either their scale or love of slo-mo.
10/17/08
Top CriticI never trust a film in which the protagonists have conversations or even arguments in the pouring rain -- without umbrellas.
10/09/08
Top CriticThis trashy film is a case of big guns and small brains.
10/24/08
Top CriticThere simply has yet to be a decent film adapted from a video game. Why studios persist is a testament to the lobotomised throngs who encourage them by paying to see this type of gleet.
10/17/08
Top CriticThere are guns blazing, mysterious winged creatures, a symbolic tattoo, an elusive blue elixir, an unresolved murder and big stunts, yet Max Payne is surprisingly lacklustre.
10/09/08
Top CriticMax Payne. Epic Fail.
11/07/08
Top CriticIt is stylish, slick, loud and empty as the producers wanted it to be.
10/17/08
Top CriticAlthough dialogue may be less than stimulating in 'Max Payne,' its powerful images relate what needs to be said -- and this approach worked for me.
10/18/08
Visually compelling and with a cast willing to make the effort so that we'll take it seriously, this is a solid action film.
10/17/08
Max Payne is a junkyard dog of a film that is true to its video-game roots even as it transcends them.
10/23/08
MAX PAYNE had the potential to be a step or two above the typical revenge action film. Unfortunately, it never takes those steps.
10/17/08
What are you going to do? It's cool to be the first game to put players in control of a John Woo gunfight, but to be yet another movie waving double guns in slow motion, not so much.
11/02/08
Mark Wahlberg’s titular hero hasn’t cracked a smile in seven years. The surprise is that he makes the lonely cop seem half human with half a dozen words and a staggering amount of violence.
11/14/08
Top CriticLike other video game adaptations there's barely a third dimension to any of the characters, but there's spades of neo-noir mood.
10/17/08
Top CriticIt's stylishly directed by John Moore, and his actors don't embarrass themselves, despite the iffy premise.
10/17/08
There were moments that needed some explanation and characters that needed a quite a bit of fleshing out. But it was violent and fun and since that's why I played the game, I left the theater satisfied.
10/17/08
Moore artfully blends vidgame and film-noir aesthetics while editor Dan Zimmerman’s measured rhythms yield a more coherent, less frenzied work than one might expect from the source material.
10/17/08
Top CriticYour quintessential guy film. If you have any significant level of testosterone in your blood stream, you'll find something to enjoy about it.
10/21/08
Though the PG-13 rating of Max Payne limited the amount of violence, the film still succeeds mainly due to the dark, gritty and beautiful cinematography.
10/17/08
Latest News for Max Payne
January 21, 2009:
Razzies Name 2008's Worst Movie Nominees
No awards season would be complete without the Golden Raspberry Awards (AKA The Razzies), awarded each year to the very worst movies to hit Hollywood. This year's winners will... More...
January 19, 2009:
RT on DVD: Max Payne, Saw V, King Kong on Blu-ray
Mark Wahlberg brings maximum pain to DVD this week in the critically-punished Max Payne, although new horror titles Saw V and Repo! The Genetic Opera didn't fare much better on... More...
November 14, 2008:
UK Critics Consensus: Is Zack And Miri Make A Porno On The Money (Shot)? Is Max Payne Maxing Or Taxing?
This week in the UK cinema screens we have Kevin Smith's latest, the intuitively titled Zack And Miri Make A Porno. Marky Mark Wahlberg stars in the video game adaptation Max... More...
October 19, 2008:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: Max feels no Payne at No. 1
With the elections just a few weeks away, W. seemed ready to rule the box office this weekend, but it was Fox's weekend to break out of its slump, with two of its openers... More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
Win Glee DVDs 
We've got 20 copies of the hit TV series' Pilot Episode to giveaway.
New Moon Portraits
TIME offers us a closer look at the characters from the latest Twilight film.
Why Don't Australians Make Sci-fi?
The New Matilda's Lynden Barber looks at the recent success of low-budget sci-fi -- and asks the question.
Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Twitter
Get all the latest movie updates, reviews, interviews and features here.
Competitions
Win Star Wars prizes
Enough Prequel, Original Trilogy and Family Guy DVDs to fill a space cruiser
Win the entire 007 collection
Everything from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace could be yours.
Win Fight Club Special Editions and more
We're giving away the 10th Anniversary Blu-ray, plus Braveheart and the Rocky collection
IGN RSS Feeds