Paycheck (DVD 2004)

Has Ben Affleck been taking acting lessons? Well, maybe not, but he fares a lot better as a man who can't remember anything in his latest sci-fi thriller, "Paycheck," by action director extraordinaire John Woo. The latest film also marks another adaptation of a Philip K. Dick short story, whose writing also has inspired "Minority Report," "Total Recall" and "Blade Runner."
Michael Jennings (Affleck) is a reverse engineer, a technological mercenary for hire creating top secret inventions for companies that pay him for the work and then erase all his memory of that experience. After another successful two-month job, his longtime friend Jimmy (Aaron Eckhart) contacts Michael for a much longer job with a much larger paycheck, one big enough to assure instant retirement.
After completing the assignment, Michael heads to the bank to receive his check but finds that he has already forfeited his shares of the company and sent an envelope to himself containing 19 different items with no apparent connection. Caught in the middle of a conspiracy between his former employer and the government, Michael must use each item to help save his girlfriend (Uma Thurman) and himself from his future.
"Paycheck" is an incredibly simple story that creates an entertaining complexity through the 19 items that Affleck's character must use to save the future. Unlike some of Dick's other adaptations, like "Minority Report," "Paycheck" lasts only as long as it should, taking the time to explain all of its twists and turns but not adding anything too extravagant for the average viewer. Thurman and Paul Giamatti (starring as Jennings' friend) are also pleasant additions to the film's cast, but Eckhart's turn as a villain simply isn't convincing.
The sci-fi roots that support "Paycheck" shouldn't scare anyone away either, because the film plays more as an action thriller than the few science fiction elements that are tied to the story. While Affleck's performance is surprisingly above par, the film's appeal comes directly from the sharp writing and creativity of the plot.