Paycheck

Scientists will discover a way to bend the laws of time before anyone remembers that a movie about bending the laws of time has to have some way of handling the problem of determinism versus free will that is if not plausible then at least consistent. The idea (from Blade Runner's Philip K. Dick) of Paycheck is an intriguing one -- a super-smart computer whiz who trades not only his intellect but also his memory for big bucks. Even on one of his good days, this set-up would have been a challenge for director John Woo, whose stylish staging has turned saggy scripts into highly watchable films. But Woo seems to have taken a hit from that memory-eraser.

We can stand it when a thriller requires some suspension of disbelief. But the one thing we cannot forgive in a would-be thriller is boredom, and this movie just sags, even in the action scenes. Without spoiling what little suspense there is, all I can say is that the big "reveal" removes any sense of narrative tension by making the outcome all but inevitable. Even Woo's trademarks, the fluttering birds and the two-gun stand-off, feel perfunctory.