Synopsis
Trailers
Reviews (58)
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M
Mel Gibson is not Lee Marvin and Payback is not Point Blank (despite being based off the same novel), but any movie that’s as violent, abrasive, and mean-spirited as this certainly qualifies as one badass revenge thriller in my book. Snappy noir-ish dialogue, gritty visuals, jet-black humor, and a “protagonist” so petty that he’s willing to literally die on a hill after being cheated out of just $70k. Those are the ingredients of a capital F Film, and I will accept no rebuttals. Melly G being a (picture perfect) total dickhead is the unsurprising draw here, but the most electric part of the whole movie for me is the trio of William Devane, Kris Kristofferson, and James Coburn as the powerful crusty old farts behind the curtain. Those three alone send the overall gruff factor through the goddamn roof. Then add in Maria Bello & Lucy Liu, and yeah—this one’s a keeper. Best of: Revenge Quests
315 8 -
T
An action-laden throwback to both film noir and the 1970s, Brian Helgeland’s “Payback” offers a bone-rattling, guns-blazing good time. A revenge thriller with a tongue-in-cheek touch of humor and a teeth-jarring punch, the film rides its rock solid cast and pervasive sense of cool to explosively entertaining heights. The story revolves around Mel Gibson’s Porter, an anti-hero with a score worth $70,000 to settle. The plot finds Porter chasing down his city’s criminal elements to reclaim the aforementioned figure. Fist fights, gun battles, and muscle cars used as weapons punctuate the story that combines pith, violence, and personality. Helgeland unapologetically creates a cinematic canvas consisting equal parts of crime pictures from the past. Blues and blacks ooze a sort of…
97 6 -
M
One gritty 90s revenge driven neo noir thriller that totally went under the radar. It is dark, violent with well placed twisted humor. The old style soundtrack and the hard boiled nature with its cold n blue tone, keep it tight solid. Mel Gibson shines his way through as the badass, while each n every character get their fair share of memorable enough scenes to score. Than the alternative cut, I prefer the theatrical one as the action loaded blast in the end suits way better.
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B
I don’t know what the current stance is on Payback, but it’s pretty fucking awesome and one of the more underrated 90s action-thrillers. Mel Gibson is perfect, it’s got a cool cast of character actors, a funky 70s-style score, and just the right amount sardonic edge. Plus, “expensive horizontal refreshment” might be the greatest euphemism I’ve ever heard.
225 1 -
L
Mal wieder in der so herrlich blauen Kinoversion gesehen. Also gefühlt seit der letzten Sichtung auf VHS, da irgendwann nur noch der Directors Cut in meinem Player gelandet ist. Den finde ich nach wie vor ein wenig besser, sowohl was die Stimmung wie auch die Undurchsichtigkeit des Outfits oder Syndikats (oder wie immer Ihr es jetzt nennt) betrifft. Aber die KF geht trotzdem immer noch so locker, schnörkellos und ruppig runter wie der Nasenring, den Porter dem Heroinboten aus dem Knorpel zieht. Hubba, hubba, hubba.
107 6 -
J
Watched the director’s cut which is the version on prime, and it’s supposedly much darker than the theatrical. Thought it was a great film with an interesting theme exploring the criminal underbelly spread across American society. The writing is excellent as it’s based off the 1963 novel, The Hunter, by Richard Stark. Easy recommend.
99 1 -
J
The Donald E. Westlake book is such a sturdy backbone for a bleak loner crime syndicate neo-noir it’d be kind of hard to fuck it up. Unfortunately for this film Boorman already turned it in with a much more effective, hypnotic style in Point Blank and a Lee Marvin performance so perfectly matched to it in terms of single-minded, lumbering, violent impulse that this being just a solid, conventional take isn’t quite good enough. Does however get a decent bump from its supporting cast (including Bill Duke and William DeVane!) and the nasty gunfights. [Straight Up Edition]
103 -
H
I’ve long enjoyed “Payback” as a scrappy little crime thriller from the late 90’s, but revisiting it now and judging it as an adaptation of Richard Stark’s first Parker novel? Well, watching it in close succession to “Point Blank” does it few favors, as “Payback” lacks the laser focus and borderline-cosmic sense of desolation that made Boorman’s 1967 effort so memorable. That said…”Payback” does create an effective comic book-style netherverse of aging tough guys, gun-toting dominatrixes, and corrupt cops (it’s almost a proto-“John Wick” in that regard), to the point that you feel like there’s a world outside the frame and they could have likely gotten a few more movies out of Mel’s portrayal of the character if they had…
84 2 -
G
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C
watched both cuts of this back-to-back, they’re basically two separate movies that should be each considered on their own terms. theatrical cut is more hardboiled, action-packed and has a playful vibe, with gibson narrating and getting a lot more quips in against these shitheel badguys. director’s cut is more emotionally restrained, grittier, more violent, with a brighter and higher contrast visual palette, and overall is closer in thematic presentation to the previous 1967 adaptation of this novel, point blank. one feels like a great pulpy 90s action-thriller, the other feels like an edgy homage to 60s/70s crime films. in my view, the theatrical cut is overall a more interesting package, and still retains the tight pace of the original director’s cut while cutting out some needless domestic abuse scenes and a lackluster ending. stick with the theatrical, but the director’s is an interesting curio.
109 4 -
A
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1
Während den Dreharbeiten zu „Payback“ in einem Lebensmitteladen. Worauf habe ich eigentlich Hunger? „Beef Jerky“? – Nein, zu salzig und ich kenne meine Blasse. „Knabbernossi“? – Seit wann haben wir hier in Chicago „Knabbernossis“? Dann was Süßes. „Manner Schnitte“! – Arnie isst „Manner Schnitte“ und was Arnie isst, ist gut für den Körper und das Köpfchen. Hab gehört, der gute Arnie hat einen IQ von über einhundertfünfzig. – Wahnsinn der Mann, stemmt problemlos einhundertfünfzig Pfund und löst nebeneinher den Gordischen Knoten. Junge Kassiererin: „Schönen Tag, Mr. Gibson.“ Ein auf die Uhr sehender Mel Gibson: „Tag.“ Junge Kassiererin: „Kann es noch etwas anderes sein?“ Mel Gibson sieht sich die Tabakvielfallt an und erinnert sich an die belehrenden Worte des Produktionsarztes sich…
116 37 -
L
**This review is for the 90 minutes “Straight Up Director’s Cut** It’s not often that the director’s cut of a movie is shorter than the theatrical cut. And even rarer when it’s this much shorter! Director Brian Helgeland took out 10 minutes of additional scenes shot by the studio, added more scenes of Mel beating people, and shortened several other transitional scenes. There is no VO, no opening where Mel is on the table and vowing revenge, no kidnapping and…
3 -
L
**This review is for the 100 minute theatrical cut** 1999 saw the release of seemingly endless great movies. Movies that pushed ideas, genres and possibilities. Paramount saw all this and thought, “we need a rip off of Lethal Weapon.” Wait… This is the overarching problem with Payback. It is a perfectly fine action movie but one that never makes enough sense to be more than a popcorn movie. Plus it’s too dark to be fun, and not violent enough to…
2 -
L
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ZZak 8 月 20, 2026
Melly Gibson coolest dude ever.
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S
Masterpiece
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J
Lucy Alexis Liu. Good Lord. That’s it. That’s all. ‘Nuff said.
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TTim 8 月 19, 2026
It was a movie
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E
He is so sassy, I love it
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A
Gritty and fun as hell, can’t believe I hadn’t seen it before!
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B
Fantastic mis en scene.
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N
Some nice killings, I guess
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A
Great neo-noir action thriller, Mel Gibson really works here as the badass antihero who’s on a revenge quest.
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J
Just finished reading The Hunter and I thought I remembered having a good time with this, but I think my memory is faulty.
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B
Brisk midday entertainment for the background.
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K
Pistolas, venganza, Mel Gibson
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S
Watched the directors cut.
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K
The last good movie Mel did before he went totally off the rails. Now go read “The Hunter” also Maria Bello: Hello
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B
Mel Gibson is sick but overall awful movie
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C
Kept me entertained the entire time
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J
A film like this is so up my alley. Charismatic lead, a story we’ve seen 1000 times but somehow always works, very good pacing, and over the top fun action sequences. This is a really solid piece of Dad Cinema, so it’s no wonder my dad has been begging me to watch it for years. And for the most part, it’s a pretty good time!
10 -
H
Point Blank is a highly formalist existential Odyssey, Payback is about a cool guy who gets his money. Cutting this (director’s cut) some slack since Gibson & co. stole Hegleland’s movie before he was done, but even with how cobbled together this appears I can’t say the smarmy, post-Tarantino style tongue-in-cheek pieces themselves make me very curious about the “complete and perfected vision.”
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C
I mean… it’s alright. Very Lethal Weapon vibes. Mel Gibson being Mel Gibson, beating the shit out of people, dropping one-liners, and somehow surviving everything thrown at him. Nothing special, nothing terrible. Just a solid “throw it on and have a good time” movie.
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M
Stronger on this than my last watch. Screened the Directors Cut Bluray and Hegeland really has the novel and the tone down cold. Sad that they didn’t make more. Having read more of the Parkers I do think Mel is a good fit.
1 -
M
I always love revisiting this iconic revenge crime flick from my early teenage years. Some great lines, an engaging plot and Mel Gibson has all the star quality that most modern day Hollywood stars lack.
1 -
L
Mel Gibson’s run in the 90s of action movies is the male version of Ashley Judd’s career. This one is a mess of tone and style and storytelling in a way that had me guffawing at times. Simultaneously cynical and comedic, bloody and restrained. Lucy Liu’s entire character (dominatrix obsessed with beating up men who is connected to the Chinese mob) is a perfect synecdoche for the madness of this film. Worth watching out of curiosity alone, and I am immediately putting on the directors cut to see just where all of this went wrong.
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W
Honestly this movie isn’t talked about enough. It’s got a cool story and the execution is done in a way that keeps you interested throughout the entire runtime. Add the awesome kills and badass Mel Gibson and you have a pretty good movie. Would recommend. Also I don’t know why but Gregg Henry in this reminds me of Randal from clerks. No idea why
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M
Vermakelijk maar behoorlijk onrealistisch: Mel Gibson wil zijn deel van een klus terug, nadat zijn partner het gepakt heeft om zich in te kopen in de ‘outfit’. Hij moordt vervolgens die hele ‘outfit’ uit en pakt en passant fouto agenten aan.
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J
75/100:
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E
What a cute little movie. Thank Christ the dog survived.
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E
A pretty badass 90s neo-noir film. I could watch this film a million times. Even though it’s got some not-so-great dialogues, this film has got it all to be more than enjoyable. Action packed, dark, violent, a little bit sexy, great shots and a perfectly moody score. A great action thriller.
1 -
S
Felt like a B rated Mel Gibson movie. Felt like I was watching a 90’s neo noir movie
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N
You very much enjoy Porter getting his Payback, hubba, hubba, hubba. Just avoid the director’s cut
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C
pós casamento eu queria ver um romance fofo mas a mari não quis e a gente acabou vendo esse filme de homem aff quem raios assiste filme com a luz acesa??? entretém
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𝐿
at least the dog is okay
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R
Mean-spirited, terrible with women, violent revenge thriller. It does what it wants to do well
1 -
B
Mel was really good at getting the shit beat out of him on screen. If only….
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J
I love Gibson. Underrated actor. World class movie maker. This film is super funny and of its time So much random quirkiness and plot armour. But you’re rooting for him and along for the ride Again – so great to see normal faces in a movie. So fun.
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EEvan Dickson 8 月 14, 2026
Caught little bits of what I assume was the theatrical cut over the years but finally watched the director’s cut — color timing is so much better. Fun, mean movie. Way leaner than I expected. Gonna watch the full theatrical to see where the extra 40m went but I can’t imagine it’s better than this.
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P
Okay I had already seen two movies prior on the day I watched this and I also started it at midnight so my judgement is a little hazy but I really didn’t have any issue with this movie other than that it felt like it never really got to flesh itself out and felt like a run on sentence which is the vibe I’m trying to communicate with this review so if you were able to understand the point of what I’m saying but feel as if it could have been structured better than I’ve successfully captured the feeling of watching this movie
1 -
C
Theatrical Cut Review The Good Mel Gibson is dead good in this, even if he is rehashing Riggs a little. Porter is a bastard, and Gibson plays him like a bastard, but there’s still enough charm about him to shine in this version of the story. His “let her work”, as he draws on a cigarette, is the pick of it. I also LOVE the voiceover, and Gibson has got a great voice for it. It gives the whole thing…
1 -
C
Payback: Straight Up (Director’s cut) review The Good So much closer in tone to Point Blank. Meaner, leaner, and Porter is fittingly even more of a bastard than the theatrical cut. Good ending! Much cleaner plot-wise than the theatrical cut, which really works for this vision, and I personally find Bronson much more menacing in this one. Being “reduced” to a voice on the phone means he, OR SHE, complements Devane’s cold sleaze much more. Coburn fits better in the…
1 -
S
“Tell him Porter’s back. And I want my money!” Reminds me of Point Blank, but Point Blank is done better with its own style. While this one borrows from classic Noirs. Would’ve been better if they made it more of a Neo Noir like “Drive”. They tried to make it too much of a classic noir with the dull color tones & character narration. Cinematography horrible, done on purpose, and I don’t agree with. Should’ve looked like its cover. Would’ve hit harder. But besides that, it was decent. There were things I liked like the action. Happens slow but when it does happen, it’s decent.
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P
Preamble to the Me Ramble: Mel Gibson is an actor I have a hard time processing, I’m not going to lie. Before I had any clue about his antisemitism, racism, misogyny, and politics, I literally grew up on him. The Lethal Weapon franchise, “Braveheart”, “The Patriot”, “The Road Warrior”, “Signs”…these were all seminal films for a young me. Especially “Lethal Weapon” and “Lethal Weapon 2” plus “Braveheart”. Heavy rotation. I think he’s a very capable actor (and director). He’s also…
12 -
E
I first watched Payback almost 30 years ago and the foot scene (IYKYK) has stuck with me ever since. Imagine my surprise when I re-watched Payback today and not only was the tone of the movie different, but that scene was completely missing. I later discovered that there are theatrical and director’s cuts of this movie – my first watch was the theatrical cut and my second watch was the director’s cut. I can’t find the theatrical cut to watch…
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N
Always love a good revenge film, this one is alright
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O
Love how this movie sounds, Mel Gibson has a great voice for narration. Great movie all round.
- Synopsis
- With friends like these, who needs enemies? That's the question bad guy Porter is left asking after his wife and partner steal his heist money and leave him for dead -- or so they think. Five months and an endless reservoir of bitterness later, Porter's partners and the crooked cops on his tail learn how bad payback can be.
- Director
- Brian Helgeland
- Writer
- Brian Helgeland, Terry Hayes
- Studio
- Icon Productions
- Country
- USA
- Language
- English
- Year
- 1999
- Runtime
- 100 mins
- USA05 Feb 1999
- Belgium17 Feb 1999
- Italy26 Feb 1999
- Netherlands04 Mar 1999
- Norway05 Mar 1999
- Philippines09 Mar 1999
- Germany11 Mar 1999
- Switzerland12 Mar 1999
- Austria18 Mar 1999
- Sweden19 Mar 1999
- Kuwait24 Mar 1999
- Argentina25 Mar 1999
- UK26 Mar 1999
- South Korea27 Mar 1999
- Greece28 Mar 1999
- France31 Mar 1999
- Taiwan03 Apr 1999
- Denmark16 Apr 1999
- Hungary22 Apr 1999
- Slovakia06 May 1999
- Japan15 May 1999
- Czechia27 May 1999
- Poland16 Jul 1999
- USA10 Apr 2007
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