Open Writing

Philip K Dick has written some quite interesting stories. A science fiction writer with some specific story themes (notably perception of reality and man vs machine) he has produced the inspiration for a number of films which have influenced Hollywood for over two decades.

You may recognise the films Blade Runner, Total Recall, Screamers, Imposter, and Minority Report since 1982.

Paycheck follows the same theme as most of his work. A reverse engineer, Michael Jennings, is paid a lot of money to solve scientific problems - and then have his memory of doing the job erased as part of the deal.

His latest job is so dangerous that he finds himself being hunted down by the corporation who hired him, government agents and the police after he tries to collect his paycheck.

Having no memory of the last three years hampers him but he has an envelope filled with 19 'worthless' items which he sent himself. He has to solve the clues and save himself before time runs out.

Science fiction films are mainly about the action and only rarely about the science these days. Paycheck falls into the former category and director John Woo ensures that the pace is kept up on this 12A rated film.

Ben Affleck and Uma Thurman make an odd couple as the leads while Aaron Eckhart is suitably evil as the corporate boss looking to advance his schemes.

Ultimately, the plotting resembles a lighter version of Minority Report in which we see the hero go on the run after a bit of scene setting.

Although this kind of film is ripe for a twist at the end there was none forthcoming and the plotting was rather heavily telegraphed in places. In fact, it seemed to steer clear of the darker edges present in earlier Philip K Dick adaptations such as Blade Runner and Minority Report.

Paycheck is nothing new but it's an entertaining enough diversion if you are in the mood.