Max Payne (2001) (VG)

User Rating:

9.6/10   

Writers:

Sam Lake (story)
Sam Lake (screenplay)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Max Payne. A man with nothing to lose.

Plot:

A troubled NYPD cop is framed for murder and finds himself being hunted by the police, the mob, and a ruthless corporation.

Plot Keywords:

Sawn Off Shotgun | Sequel Mentioned During End Credits | Bloodshed | Bullet Time | Framed

Awards:

1 win

Cast

James McCaffrey	...	DEA Agent Max Payne (voice)
Haviland Morris	...	Michelle Payne (voice)
Chris Phillips	...	DEA Agent Alex Balder / Mercenary / Killer Suit (voice)
Jane Gennaro	...	Nicole Horne / Valhalla Project Computer Voice (voice)
Adam Grupper	...	BB / Policeman / Mercenary (voice)
Peter Appel	...	Deputy Police Chief Jim Bravura / Boris Dime / Announcer (voice)
Tye Alexander	...	Joey Finito / Virgilio Finito / Mobster (voice) (as Tye Reign)
Joe Dallo	...	Vinnie Gognitti / Pilot / Chemist (voice)
Chelsea Altman	...	Kyra Silver (voice)
Joe Ragno	...	Angelo Punchinello / Mobster (voice)
Joanie Ellen	...	Candy Dawn (voice)
Ricky Ashley	...	Captain Baseballbat-Boy (voice)
Victoria Pontecorvo	...	Bicycle Helmet-Girl (voice)
Joe Maruzzo	...	Rico Muerte / Transit / Joe Salem (voice)
John Randolph Jones	...	Alfred Woden / Butler (voice)

Country:

USA | Finland

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

South Korea:18 | Germany:18 | Ireland:15 | UK:15 | USA:M

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Remedy Entertainment

Trivia:

In Part 3, Chapter 5 ("Providing A Service" Playstation 2 level): In the small room after Alfred Woten's office (where you find the Aesir building plans), there is a small picture that you can shoot off the wall (behind the desk), revealing a button. Pressing it will raise the couch on the other side of the room, revealing a staircase down to a "private area". In it there is a big screen TV you can use to play a 3DRealms-themed parody of Star Trek. In the adjoining room there is a bed with chains next to a closet full of bondage gear.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The entire game takes place in New York, yet at least twice in the game we can see safety signs that say "no unauthorised persons beyond this point" (the common UK spelling of "unauthorized").

Quotes:

Max Payne: The shadows rushed me, bruised mug-shot faces hungry for revenge. They knew my weak points and closed in for the kill. The floor turned into a vortex of green blood. I fell.

Movie Connections:

References The Big Sleep (1946)

Bloody Brilliant.

To this day no game has gripped me like "Max Payne". I remember I got this one Friday afternoon and had it beat by Sunday morning. Yes I did spend most waking hours playing it, but that is a testament to the game's story. I rarely find myself addicted to a game's story. I rarely find myself wanting to know where the story goes. In games, plot does take a backseat to game play for me. But "Max Payne" got it right. It's short enough not to lose focus from beginning to end, but long enough to become a deep and immersive experience. The game's pacing is flawless. The style by which the story is told – graphic comic strip narrated by the hard-boiled Payne is also perfect and adds much to the game's style an atmosphere.

The much-hyped slow motion aspect of the game is simply the icing on the cake. There is nothing like jumping into a room – gun in each hand – in slow motion and re-enacting your favourite John Woo action scene. Nothing. It is true that the A.I. isn't the small tool in the box, but what lack in brains they make up for in numbers. The vast selection of weapons is also impressive, though I have myself found myself going through the entire game using only handguns except when other guns are essential to the objective. But that's just the Woo fan in me.

The graphics were jaw-dropping at the time and are still damn impressive today. There was times when I was simply amazed at the details: if you got the camera right behind Max's shoulder you could see the micro-fabrics of his jacket and the singular strands of his hair. Bullet hits were also impressive – both visually and in their restraint. They remind me a lot of Exley's shotgun massacre in "L.A. Confidential". Debris flies over the place but not in an over-the-top Woo or "Matrix" way. This helps retain the gritty realism the makers were striving for.

"Max Payne" is derivate of a lot of works and is quite clichéd, but it is executed with style, atmosphere and an immense level of game-making professionalism that makes it an experience unlike any other. Put film noir, John Woo and "The Matrix" into mixer and "Max Payne" is probably what you get. And it's one hell of a cocktail. The game is thrilling, visceral and explosive. What more could you want in an action game?