Max Payne (UR-2008)

There is very good reason why translating video games to movies and vice versa does not work all that well. I may be stating the obvious, but it all comes down to interactivity. Video games, even those with great story lines, are mainly designed for interactivity, putting you in the shoes of the protagonist and having some of what happens be determined by your actions. Movies are geared more toward the linear storytelling. Now, as "video game movies" go, "Max Payne" is not awful, not at all. Mark Wahlberg actually does a decent job as the titular Payne, a New York City detective determined to find the people responsible for the murder of his wife. As he gets deeper and deeper, he finds himself in the crosshairs of a conspiracy that has ramifications in the pharmaceutical industry, the police force and even the mob. Early in the movie, it is a little off-putting when you see these huge "bird-people" attack some victims. However, they do provide a perfectly reasonable explanation for that. The story is pretty decently framed and the adaptation is pretty good, but there are several scenes and sets that just feel like it's a video game battle scene which have you reaching for a controller. That is what takes you out of the movie. Video game movies are "damned if you do, damned if you don't". You have a built-in audience with the people who played the game, so you need to be true to that, but if you adhere too closely, the movie can become disjointed and that does happen at times with "Max Payne". I was entertained while watching it, but did not feel like I would have missed anything if I didn't. What that boils down to is a passable, but mediocre movie.

Grade: C-

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