Script flaws and miscasting aside, Max Payne is a beautiful film that looks even better in high definition

You have most likely already heard the answer to the question will Max Payne finally end the horrible string of video game adaptations. What could have been one of the easiest transitions to film yet, the gritty, film noir cop drama seemed ripened for a movie. While director John Moore certainly captured the visual style of the games, somewhere along the line a narrative concerning drug induced hallucinations sent the script in the wrong direction. Now on DVD and BluRay, Max Payne is given new life, as a nice array of special features, capped by a phenomenally unique documentary, help the disc become a far easier sell.

Detective Max Payne (Mark Walhberg) lives his life as a ghost. After his wife and daughter were murdered the young and promising police officer took a turn down dark allies in search of the demons responsible. Now hard-boiled and filled with venom, Payne discovers that there is a far bigger controversy behind the death of his family, one that connects to a powerful new drug on the streets put out by a foreboding pharmaceutical company.

Responsible for the abysmally flat remake of The Omen, John Moore misses far more then he hits with Max Payne, mostly with his casting. Though Marky Mark does some good work here, even with his background from the streets the actor seems a bit too young and a bit too soft to play such a grizzled and hardened detective. As exotic a beauty as Mila Kunis is, an uber-badass female from the streets she is not. Sure she looks great in tight, black leather, but believability of the vixen behind the barrel of the gun is key.

However, Max Payne isn’t all visuals and no substance. Olga Kurylenko, Beau Bridges, and Chris “Ludicrous” Bridges do some great work here. Plus the action is extremely well choreographed and beautifully photographed. There is no question about it, script flaws and miscasting aside, Max Payne is a beautiful film that looks even better in high definition.

However the real sell for film buffs should be the sixty-minute documentary included with the disc. Simply entitled “Picture”, the behind the scenes feature is far more then the fluff pieces or technical exposes we’ve become accustom to. The documentary covers some raw and visceral ground about who the cast and crew really are and the hardships that come with seventy days of filming. The fantastic glimpse includes not only interviews with the director and stars, but with lower workers on the totem pole, like the Assistant Director Trainee, the grips and the cable wranglers. If you didn’t appreciate Max Payne in the theater for what it was, seeing the effort and heart that these men and women put into the film will likely give you a greater appreciation for an otherwise mediocre picture

Director: John Moore
Actors: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Beau Bridges, Ludacris, Chris O’Donnell
Release Date: January 20, 2009

Russo Rating: 6/10