Max Payne (2008)

By Reid on April 29th, 2008 . Filed under A-Z Previews: Theatrical.

Synopsis:

DEA agent Max Payne (Wahlberg) seeks revenge after the Mafia kills his family. During the course of his investigation he teams up with Mona (Kunis), an assassin seeking revenge for the murder of her sister. Based on the video game series by Rockstar Games.

Our Thoughts:

So, yet another video game adaptation is coming to theaters this fall. This time it’s Max Payne (If you’ve never played the game, think a more humane Punisher with The Matrix (1999)-created “bullet-time” and you’ve got the picture).

With Mark Wahlberg in the lead role, this has the potential to generate more interest than last year’s Hitman (2007) (starring Timothy Olyphant), but the pretty consistent bad reviews about Hitman (2007) could keep viewers away from this one (although if Max Payne turns out to be even halfway decent, expect a better reception for Punisher: War Zone (2008) in December).

And teaming him with “That 70’s Show” star Mila Kunis and the almost-forgotten Chris O’Donnell (who everyone, unfortunately, still remembers as being part of the atrocity that was Batman & Robin) could run the remaining buzz-worthiness of this film straight into the ground.

Unless this one’s got a great preview, expect Max Payne to make it’s way through theaters quickly.