Max Payne, game or movie, has precious little to say.
Max Payne (2008)
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 Rating: MA15+ [See Full Rating] Frequent violence and drug use
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
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... 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 while investigating several murders, while Mila Kunis (FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL) costars as an assassin desperate for her own revenge. [More]
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Beau Bridges, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Beau Bridges, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Olga Kurylenko, Chris O'Donnell, Donal Logue, Amaury Nolasco, Kate Burton
Director: John Moore
Director: John Moore
Screenwriter: Beau Thorne
Producer: Julie Yorn, Scott Faye, John Moore
Composer: Marco Beltrami, Buck Sanders
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Reviews for Max Payne
The movie is a series of glum interrogation scenes that lead nowhere special, with a not-quite-sci-fi urban murkiness that makes it look like someone was trying to shoot Blade Runner in Cleveland.
Painful to watch, but it's nothing an aspirin can't fix. Might as well save yourself the headache, though.
Max Payne may be the worst movie of the year. The "may be" qualifier is only because the year isn't over yet.
The few thrills it does have are outweighed by its rather dumb plotting and an overly familiar sense of style.
Give 'Max Payne' the modest credit it deserves. It's a gloriously dumb, over-the-top slice of convoluted pulp fiction, and far more entertaining than I would have expected.
A profound feeling of laziness hovers over the entire picture, suggesting that it was as joyless to make as it is to watch.
Honestly, you find yourself rooting against Payne's survival, even with a good actor in the hollow role. There's nothing inside the film's sour, slovenly spirit of vengeance.
A straight-up action picture, and a rather bombastic, familiar one at that.
Andy Samberg's imitation of Marky Mark as Barky Bark is vastly more amusing than Wahlberg's latest action vehicle.
A big reason why videogame-to-movie adaptations are currently batting .000 is that filmmakers work so hard at recreating a game's look that they ignore the obvious problem of assembling a bunch of lame cutscenes into a story.
The movie is styled to death %u2014 it's hyper film noir without the philosophical resonance %u2014 and it's certainly something to see.
Eventually, Max pieces together a conspiracy, but Max Payne spells it all out so obviously that the densest audience members will put the pieces together at least half an hour before the hero finally does.
Simply terrible. An insult to gamers and action fans. Frankly, it doesn't even deserve notoriety as one of the year's worst; it deserves to be forgotten.
The film should have been about Payne getting addicted to drugs, having a good heart, but doing really bad things to search for the man who murdered his family--not this mess.
Wahlberg packs the talent to add depth to most roles. In this one, though, he does little more than mope around and blast away (video-game style) in this barrage of rapid fire.
Like other video game adaptations there's barely a third dimension to any of the characters, but there's spades of neo-noir mood.
The producers of movies based on video games must think their audience is nothing but easy-to-entertain morons. It's the only explanation for a movie this dark, dull, and dumb.
Visually compelling and with a cast willing to make the effort so that we'll take it seriously, this is a solid action film.
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...
More DVDs
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Fresh Links
Featured

Tim Burton's costume designer talks to Movieline about her long collaboration with the filmmaker and Johnny Depp.

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

We've got 20 copies of the hit TV series' Pilot Episode to giveaway.

Double passes up for grabs to the new comedy starring Paul Giamatti.

Get all the latest movie updates, reviews, interviews and features here.
Competitions

Enough Prequel, Original Trilogy and Family Guy DVDs to fill a space cruiser

Everything from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace could be yours.

We're giving away the 10th Anniversary Blu-ray, plus Braveheart and the Rocky collection



Top Critic

