Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Dumb, forgettable, violent heist movie objectifies women.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Paydirt
What's the Story?
In PAYDIRT, Sheriff Tucker (Val Kilmer) botches a drug bust and is removed from office. Meanwhile, deal mastermind The Brit (Luke Goss) is arrested for possession of marijuana. Five years later, in the present day, he's released and re-forms his old team to find the $33 million he hid. They include the Brains (Mike Hatton), the Brawn (Paul Sloan), the Babe (Murielle Telio), and the Badass (Veronika Bozeman). Unfortunately, Tucker has been waiting for this moment to get his revenge.
Is It Any Good?
Built from a grab bag of pieces borrowed from other heist movies but assembled in a way that makes little sense, this B movie has dull characters and an unhappy use of throat cancer survivor Kilmer. Though Goss is the star, Kilmer is arguably the driving force of Paydirt. But he looks so frail and so unconvincing in the role of a disgraced sheriff that the movie never gains any momentum. Due to the near loss of Kilmer's own voice, he's been (sloppily) dubbed by someone else here -- but at least he gets a couple of scenes with his real-life daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, which otherwise don't seem to go with the plot.
The rest of the characters seem to have been assembled more for their ability to fit into their "B" team names than for any logical reason, and Telio as the "Babe" and Bozeman as the "Badass" seem mainly here to be ogled and objectified. The details of what actually happens in the movie are pretty hazy, as there are so many scenes of characters joking around -- or scenes of the beautiful Coachella scenery -- that they become diluted. And it's likely that they were never really worked out in the first place. The only things Paydirt really has going for it are its dumb, grinning attitude and a bearable running time (85 minutes).
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Paydirt's violence. Is it realistic or cartoonish? How did it make you feel? What's the impact of media violence on kids?
How are alcohol and drugs portrayed? Are there consequences for their use? Why does that matter?
How does the movie treat women? Are they strong characters? Are they treated as objects? What is the impact of media objectification?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : November 17, 2020
- Cast : Luke Goss , Val Kilmer , Mike Hatton
- Director : Christian Sesma
- Studio : Uncork'd Entertainment
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Run time : 85 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : August 7, 2022
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