Ok folks, Harry here. I've read this script, I've seen the original director's cut of the film, and I've seen the latest trailer of this film, and I really really hope this movie is still great. This person has seen the latest screening of the film, and well... he might not have gotten the vibe this film once had. Porter (Mel Gibson's character) is a BAD ASS. He's not a good guy, he's just a force of nature in the urban jungle he lives in. NOW, that vibe might be gone, because of the changes, or the great temp track the film had once... long ago... Or, it might be this particular fello didn't 'get' it. Let's hope that last one is the way of things, because... well this movie... well... I'll save it for my review when I see the final print.

Finally, a reason to write to you. :)

I just had the "pleasure" to witness my first real test screening.

Now understand, I live in Hamburg, Germany, so it came as a surprise when I heard that the weekly sneak preview would be a test screening, that happens about twice a year here.

As I assume from reading your last article about the movie, we saw the latest version of Payback, with all the reshots, the "voice" (Angie Dickinson) removed and all that. And you know, it had one problem: it screamed "I am SOOO cool". But it wasn't. Well, you already have the plot on the site, I think not much was changed, except the end.

So, basically, in the movie, Mel Gibson is an asshole that beats, tortures and kills other assholes (of various degrees). It is not quite clear why he does that, as he kills his former "buddy" after the first half of the movie, and it is also not the money he wants, because he is SUCH a great thief and all that (hey, the movie says that, not I) that he could easily get it elsewhere.

The plots appears to have been woven around the ten "coolest" scenes which were conceived with the pretext of "hey, let's show people that we are cool by inventing new and 'interesting' ways to really, really hurt a person".

There is no other explanation for the more or less random acts of violence that are the "plot". Gibson finally kills every bigwig of the "syndicate" because ... he wants to, and he and the girl (and the dog) get away WITH the money. One is left with a chuckle about the bad, bad voice-over, a sigh for Brian Helgeland (whom I liked for LA Confidential and especially Conspiracy Theory) and a grunt for the trend in some movies that violence totally without reason equals a plot.

Keep up the good work, don't let the idiots get to you,

Skree