'Paycheck' is laughable, ludicrous

"Paycheck" offers evidence that Ben Affleck can make "Gigli"-quality movies without his on-again, off-again squeeze, Jennifer Lopez.

This laughable, ludicrous science-fiction thriller — which is quite violent, especially for a PG-13-rated film — gives further proof of the eroding skills of filmmaker John Woo, for whom "Paycheck" is surely a career low.

"Paycheck," like "Minority Report" and "Total Recall," is loosely based on a short story by Philip K. Dick. The central character is Michael Jennings (Affleck), a "reverse-engineer" who steals other people's technology, sells it to the highest bidder and then has his memory wiped.

His newest job may also be his most lucrative — and it's certainly his most time-consuming, a three-year project for an old friend, Jimmy Rethrick (Aaron Eckhart). But Michael's longtime partner-in-crime, Shorty (Paul Giamatti), has second thoughts about the job, and, as it turns out, with good reason.

Michael wakes up one day to find that it's three years later, and all he has is an envelope filled with nearly two dozen seemingly innocuous items, ranging from a wristwatch to a matchbook to a filled-in crossword puzzle.

In truth, they are clues that Michael left for himself before his memory was erased so he could remember what he did in that time. He doesn't have much time to waste, since there are people trying to find him — or worse, kill him.

This material should play right into the hands of Woo, whose Hong Kong action films were fairly ingenious. However, the only Woo "cliche" he doesn't fall back on here is two people holding pistols in each other's faces. (The expected white-dove appearance may be one of the most unintentionally hilarious movie moments of the year.)

Woo is stuck with a most uninteresting hero in Affleck, who never registers the slightest trace of emotion. And pity poor Uma Thurman, who tries to cozy up to this block of ice (in an unrewarding supporting role as Michael's love interest.)

"Paycheck" is rated PG-13 for scenes of sci-fi and action violence (fistfights, gunfire, martial-arts combat and explosive mayhem), scattered use of strong profanity and brief gore. Running time: 119 minutes.

E-mail: jeff@desnews.com

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