Paycheck (film)

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Paycheck is a 2003 film adaptation of the short story Paycheck by science fiction writer Philip K. Dick. The movie was directed by John Woo and features Ben Affleck, Uma Thurman and Aaron Eckhart as the principal actors.

Plot

[Spoiler warningSpoiler warning]: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The movie is about Michael Jennings (Affleck), a reverse engineer who has his memory of the projects he works on erased. He agrees to take a project for his old college roommate and close personal friend designing something for three years in exchange for $92 million at his friends high security Allcom facility. However, after working for the three years on the secret project, he wakes up with his memory erased to find he traded away his paycheck of 92 million dollars, and is left only with an envelope of personal effects, which he quickly determines aren't his. Slowly he realizes he traded away his fortune to bring his attention to the envelope full of the following seemingly unrelated personal items:

BMW key
.45 Caliber bullet
bus pass (the only item common to both versions of the story)
can of hairspray
cigarette lighter
crossword puzzle
diamond ring
fortune taken from a fortune cookie
half dollar
janitor's key
keycard to his employer
converging lens
matchbook
pack of cigarettes
pair of tinted sunglasses
paperclip
stamp
watch
Allen wrench
Ball bearings

Soon he discovers that the people he was working for are after him for some unknown reason, the FBI are also after him as they believe that he committed treason against the U.S government. However, using the items he now has in his possession, he's able to devise ways out of his various predicaments.

He soon discovers that he spent the last three years of his life designing and building a laser-enhanced lens which allows the user to see around the curvature of the universe, and thus, the future. After building the machine, he used it to catch a glimpse at the future and saw that the machine, and the knowledge it brings, leads to the downfall of humanity. Using the machine one last time, he plans his escape and the destruction of his creation. However, since he is completely isolated, he was limited to sneaking out an envelope of innocent, everyday items.

Toward the end of the movie he throws his watch into the flames of the destroyed future viewing machine suggesting that he is through with the whole emphasis on time and preferring to let the future write itself.

The "Paycheck" comes at the end of the movie with the $92,000,000 lottery ticket hidden under the paper lining at the bottom of his girlfriend's birdcage. This fulfills the "prophecy" he keeps restating throughout the film that "if you only look where you can't go you will miss the riches below."

Spoilers end here.

Reception

Panned by critics and largely ignored by the viewing public, the movie was seen mostly as a vehicle for Affleck. Some critics called this one of Woo's worst films, possibly because he downplayed many of the story's science fiction elements for transition to film.

External links

[}}}] at Rotten Tomatoes
[}}}] at Box Office Mojo

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