Paycheck

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2:25

Paycheck

PG-13

2003

1h 59m

Sci-Fi

Action

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

27%

Tomatometer

152 Reviews

45%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Michael Jennings is a top-notch reverse engineer. Corporations pay him to crack the secrets of their competitors' products. When the job is done, he has his memory of it erased. Rethrick, head of a company called Allcom, hires Jennings to reverse-engineer a secret government device. After the job, Jennings wakes from the memory erasure to find himself being chased by various agencies. He soon realizes that the fate of the entire world may be in his hands.

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Critics Consensus

Though Dick's short story has an intriguing premise, Woo reduces it to a lot of meaningless chases, shoot-outs, and explosions.

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Neil Norman

London Evening Standard

Jan 11, 2018

A rubbish script, terrible acting from all concerned -- including, I regret to say, Uma Thurman -- and Woo's action histrionics uneasily confined to science lab interiors, all conspire to produce a movie of utter redundancy.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Dec 27, 2010

2/5

This movie just sags, even in the action scenes.

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Adam Smith

Empire Magazine

Apr 1, 2006

3/5

Some remedial script work is in need, and the characters are far from compelling. But the action is up to scratch and it rattles happily along.

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Sloan Freer

Radio Times

Aug 18, 2026

2/5

It feels more made-for-video than big budget and, though the picture narrowly escapes being a complete failure, you expect so much more from everyone involved.

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

May 18, 2025

2.5/4

...an overly slick and mostly mindless actioner...

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Kathi Maio

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction

Feb 28, 2020

Ben can't, however, make Paycheck into the good movie it might have been. That would have required a director more interested in ideas and less interested in things that go boom...

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Keith B

@Okbullard 2 days ago

I thought it might be a little better but it wasn't. Affleck is such mediocre actor and Thurman isn't much better. Casey Affleck is ten times better than either of them. There were so many ridiculous events in this film especially the ending... don't bother.

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Bill N

@Nylar 4 days ago

Waste of time. Clue’s were not even plausible. Along with terrible acting.

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Cinema S

@cinema_sensei Aug 7, 2026

The concept is easily the film’s biggest strength. The idea of seeing your own future through a mysterious set of clues is genuinely intriguing, and the fast pace keeps the mystery moving. It doesn’t reach the full potential of its premise, and the execution can feel predictable at times, but it remains an entertaining sci-fi thriller from start to finish.

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Chris S

@Janomi Jul 20, 2026

Paycheck is good because the Philip K. Dick premise is strong. A man willingly has his memory erased after a secret job, then discovers that the random items he left behind are actually clues to survive the future. That "ordinary objects as breadcrumbs" idea gives the movie a fun puzzle-box structure. Ben Affleck works well enough as Michael Jennings, playing him as smart but vulnerable, confused, hunted, and forced to trust a version of himself he no longer remembers. John Woo’s action direction also keeps the movie moving, with chases, shootouts, slow-motion touches, and early-2000s sci-fi/action energy. The mystery is best when Jennings is figuring out how each object matters. The problem is that the premise is stronger than the execution. The ideas about memory, fate, free will, and identity could have been deeper, but the movie often becomes a standard chase thriller. It is entertaining, but more mechanical than thrilling.

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Adam G

@Adam71 Apr 28, 2026

Too far fetched - Affleck is basically James Bond / Jason Bourne but without any training - too much packed into one movie.

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M G

@gennuso Feb 11, 2026

it's entertaining. Not bad

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John Woo

Director

Ben Affleck

Michael Jennings

Aaron Eckhart

Rethrick

Uma Thurman

Rachel Porter

Paul Giamatti

Shorty

Colm Feore

Mr. Wolf

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Synopsis

Michael Jennings is a top-notch reverse engineer. Corporations pay him to crack the secrets of their competitors' products. When the job is done, he has his memory of it erased. Rethrick, head of a company called Allcom, hires Jennings to reverse-engineer a secret government device. After the job, Jennings wakes from the memory erasure to find himself being chased by various agencies. He soon realizes that the fate of the entire world may be in his hands.

Director: John Woo
Producer: John Woo, John Davis, Terence Chang, Michael Hackett
Screenwriter: Dean Georgaris
Distributor: Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks SKG
Production Co: Solomon/Hackett Productions, Davis Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, Frantic Films, Lion Rock Productions
Rating: PG-13 (Intense Action Violence|Brief Language)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $53.8M
Runtime: 1h 59m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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