Waiting Is A Payne

"Payne" Puns Persist!
Before Bullet Time became the late 90's version of the exploding barrel, Max Payne took the concept and ran with it. Looking back on it, I'm kind of sad that the saga of the tormented cop can be so easily forgotten - either on purpose or simply managing to fall through the cracks. It's possibly Rockstar's most underused and underappreciated title. Aside from some of the best shootouts and action set-pieces games would see, and aside from that trademark Bullet Time, Max Payne oozed character and mood - two attributes that are only now really starting to find they're not exclusive to the RPG genre. The dark noir themes and over-stated dialogue helped shape the series into something unique and interesting. And while the first game help set the foundation, I still think that Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne not only improved upon the first, but excelled in delivering a story filled with emotion, twists, and an ending that actually lived up to what you'd hope for. No punches pulled is a nice way to put it. Every now and again, the theme music creeps into my head, and it's then that I wish I'd hear more rumors about a third chapter for Max.

Nevertheless, I was a little concerned to learn a few months ago that Max Payne was going to be the next game license to jump from the consoles to the big screen. It would be easy to see how this could be a disaster - in the wrong hands, and someone who never played the games, a Max Payne movie could turn out as little more than a watered down, generic, vigilante-cop action-fest without a soul. One of those movies you see on TBS in a couple years and wonder if it had ever been released in the theaters, or simply go "Hmm, never heard of this." But then came word that Mark Wahlberg in the role, and my mood changed considerably. I like Wahlberg, and his role in The Condemned sealed it for me - Happening aside. If anyone can bring some sort of life and likeability to a tormented and vengeful man on the edge, it's Mark Wahlberg. Still, things could end up being just a slightly better brainless shootathon. But now, a trailer for the Max Payne movie is making the rounds, and it has not only made me feel better about the whole ordeal, but it makes me just giddy waiting for it to arrive in a theater near me. Check it out:


To me, from the way the movie looks, to how it's being shot, to the brooding guitar rift running through it - it actually feels like Max Payne. From what I can tell, the movie also makes plenty of nods to the original game - snow blowing around, the bleached colors, and the noticable sign for the Ragna Rock nightclub (one of the best scenes in the original game). Sure, there appear to be angels flying around, but don't forget that the first game centers around tailor-made drugs circulating through New York's underworld, causing all sort of chaos - not to mention disturbing hallucinations, which these likely are. I can't wait to see if Max goes into those nightmare scenarios like in the games, where things get real weird, and real twisted. All in all, this looks like it should, and looks like the most faithful version of any game to screen move I've seen. Sure, it's only a trailer, but I have faith.