Paycheck (2003)

Director:

John Woo

Writers (WGA):

Philip K. Dick (short story)
Dean Georgaris (screenplay)

Release Date:

25 December 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Thriller | Action | Mystery

Tagline:

Remember the future.

Plot:

What seemed like a breezy idea for an engineer to net him millions of dollars, leaves him on the run for his life and piecing together why he's being chased.

Plot Keywords:

Engineer | Computer Engineer | FBI | Destiny | Amnesia

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Ben Affleck	...	Jennings
Aaron Eckhart	...	Rethrick
Uma Thurman	...	Rachel
Paul Giamatti	...	Shorty
Colm Feore	...	Wolfe
Joe Morton	...	Agent Dodge
Michael C. Hall	...	Agent Klein
Peter Friedman	...	Attorney General Brown
Kathryn Morris	...	Rita Dunne
Ivana Milicevic	...	Maya-Rachel
Christopher Kennedy	...	Stevens
Fulvio Cecere	...	Agent Fuman
John Cassini	...	Agent Mitchell
Callum Keith Rennie	...	Jude - Guard
Michelle Harrison	...	Jane
Claudette Mink	...	Sara Rethrick
Ryan Zwick	...	Street Kid
Dee Jay Jackson	...	Guard (as Deejay Jackson)
Serge Houde	...	Dekker
Calvin Finlayson	...	Balloon Boy
Kendall Cross	...	Scientist
Catherine Lough Haggquist	...	Scientist
Darryl Scheelar	...	Plain Clothes Federal Agent
Mark Brandon	...	Lottery Host
Roger Haskett	...	Lottery Official
Steve Wright	...	Allcom Helicopter Pilot
Craig Hosking	...	FBI Helicopter Pilot
Emily Holmes	...	Betsy - Salesgirl
Krista Allen	...	Holographic Woman
Barclay Hope	...	Suit
Peter Shinkoda	...	Suit
David Lewis	...	Suit
Robert Clark	...	String Quartet
Andrea Siradze	...	String Quartet
Isabelle Roland	...	String Quartet
Peter Caton	...	String Quartet
Ryan Robbins	...	Husband
Benita Ha	...	Wife
Chelah Horsdal	...	Young Mother
Craig March	...	Janitor
Jason Calder	...	Wolfe Goon
Mike Godenir	...	Wolfe Goon
Brad Kelly	...	Wolfe Goon
Brent Connolly	...	Wolfe Goon
Michelle Anderson	...	Nursery Customer
Lori Berlanga	...	Nursery Customer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sean Akira	...	Scientist (uncredited)
Sandra-Jessica Couturier	...	Extra (uncredited)
Joe Coyle	...	School Teacher (uncredited)
Richard Cummins	...	Plant Scientist (uncredited)
Aaron Douglas	...	Scientist #3 (uncredited)
Peggy Flood	...	Computer (voice) (uncredited)
Levi Woods	...	Train Station Patron (uncredited)

Directed by
John Woo

Writing credits (WGA)
Philip K. Dick		(short story)
Dean Georgaris		(screenplay)

Produced by
Arthur Anderson	....	co-producer
Terence Chang	....	producer
John Davis	....	producer
Michael Hackett	....	producer
Keiko Koyama	....	co-producer
Stratton Leopold	....	executive producer
Caroline Macaulay	....	co-producer
David Solomon	....	executive producer
David Solomon	....	executive producer
John Woo	....	producer

Original Music by
John Powell

Cinematography by
Jeffrey L. Kimball		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Christopher Rouse
Kevin Stitt

Casting by
Mindy Marin

Production Design by
William Sandell

Art Direction by
Sandy Cochrane

Set Decoration by
Elizabeth Wilcox

Costume Design by
Erica Edell Phillips

Makeup Department
Cindy Barlow	....	assistant makeup artist (as Cindy L. Barlow)
Susan Boyd	....	hair stylist: second unit
Rita Ciccozzi	....	assistant makeup artist
Emanuela Daus	....	makeup artist
Ilona Herman	....	hair designer: Ms. Thurman
Ilona Herman	....	makeup designer: Ms. Thurman
Norma Hill-Patton	....	makeup designer
John E. Jackson	....	makeup artist: Mr. Affleck (as John Jackson)
Thom MacIntyre	....	key hair stylist (as Thom McIntyre)
Shauna Magrath	....	assistant makeup artist
M. Brando Pero	....	assistant hair stylist
Janine Rath	....	hair stylist: Mr. Affleck (as Janine Rath-Thompson)
Gina Sherritt	....	assistant hair stylist
Adina Shore	....	assistant hair stylist
Barbara J. Wozniak	....	assistant hair stylist

Production Management
Casey Grant	....	production manager
Stratton Leopold	....	unit production manager
Yvonne Melville	....	unit manager
Kiki Morris	....	post-production supervisor
Jay Sedrish	....	production manager
Susan Towner	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Arthur Anderson	....	first assistant director
Ashley Bell	....	assistant director
Michael Collins	....	third assistant director: set
Joan Cunningham	....	first assistant director: second unit
Adrian Diepold	....	trainee assistant director
Mathew Dunne	....	first assistant director: reshoots
Shelley Kreutz	....	assistant director
Ella Kutschera	....	additional first assistant director: second unit
Dan Mansfield	....	third assistant director
Jamie Marshall	....	second assistant director
Jeff Mosuk	....	second assistant director: second unit
Brian Smrz	....	second unit director
Berengaria Tomkies	....	second assistant director
Fiona Winning	....	second assistant director: second unit
Cameron Kuc	....	additional third assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Don Anderson	....	assistant property master
Chris Beach	....	art assistant
Brent Boates	....	illustrator
Nancy Anna Brown	....	assistant art director
Maureen Carey	....	construction buyer
Jean-Paul Costaz	....	paint coordinator
Brian Cunningham	....	graphic artist
Rusty Dumas	....	storyboard artist
Dave Emmonds	....	head greensman
Brian Epp	....	assistant property master
Darek Gogol	....	illustrator
Phil Gough	....	property master: second unit
Craig Henderson	....	construction coordinator
Patrick Kearns	....	on-set dresser
Keli Manson	....	graphic designer
Gwendolyn Margetson	....	assistant art director
Ignacio McBurney	....	assistant set decorator
Colin Meacham	....	on-set dresser
Sheila Millar	....	assistant art director
Tristan Oliver	....	assistant set dresser
Dean Sherriff	....	illustrator
Dennis Simard	....	set dresser
Shmakin Slava	....	art department coordinator
Grant Swain	....	property master
Adrien Van Viersen	....	conceptual illustrator
Andy Chung	....	concept designer (uncredited)

Sound Department
Christopher Assells	....	sound effects editor
Kristian Bailey	....	boom operator
Brian Basham	....	sound recordist
John Bires	....	sound engineer
Robert Carr	....	sound recordist: predubs
Anne Couk	....	first assistant sound editor
Zack Davis	....	adr editor
Chris Glyn-Jones	....	boom operator
Chris Glyn-Jones	....	sound mixer: second unit
Per Hallberg	....	supervising sound editor
Robin Harlan	....	foley artist
Dan Hegeman	....	sound effects editor
Susan Kurtz	....	dialog editor
Susan Kurtz	....	sound editor
Gregg Landaker	....	supervising sound mixer
Steve Maslow	....	supervising sound mixer
Sarah Monat	....	foley artist
Ronnie Morgan	....	assistant sound editor
Philip D. Morrill	....	assistant sound editor
Willard Overstreet	....	foley editor
Eliza Pollack Zebert	....	adr editor
Vic Radulich	....	dialog editor
Alan Rankin	....	sound designer
Alex Raspa	....	adr mixer: New York
Perry Robertson	....	sound effects editor
Scott Sanders	....	sound effects editor
Randy Singer	....	foley mixer
Peter Staubli	....	sound effects editor
Scott Stolz	....	sound mixer: reshoots
Bruce Tanis	....	sound effects editor
Robert Ulrich	....	supervising adr editor

Special Effects by
Craig Barnett	....	special effects foreman
Al Di Sarro	....	special effects coordinator: US (as Albert Di Sarro)
Ken Reynolds	....	special effects technician
Clancy Scheirer	....	special effects crew
Tim Walkey	....	special effects foreman

Visual Effects by
Victor Abbene	....	visual effects gaffer
Chris Anderson	....	roto/paint artist: CIS Hollywood
Jared Barber	....	animator
Travis Baumann	....	compositor: CIS Hollywood
Lori Berlanga	....	visual effects associate
Melissa Best	....	2D lead: Frantic Films
Chris Bond	....	visual effects supervisor: Frantic Films
Jason Booth	....	digital compositor
Jayni Borgaro	....	roto/paint artist: CIS Hollywood
Brent Breedveld	....	visual effects animator
Matt Broeska	....	lead matchmove artist: Frantic Films
David C. Bryant	....	digital artist: effects animation
Amanda Burton	....	rotoscope artist (as Amanda N. Burton)
Beau Cameron	....	digital artist
John Cassella	....	CG artist: CIS Hollywood
Ian Cope	....	visual effects coordinator: Rising Sun Pictures
Tim Crosbie	....	visual effects supervisor: Rising Sun Pictures
Shane Davidson	....	digital compositor
Andy Davis	....	digital compositor: Creo
Denise Davis	....	visual effects producer
Linda Drake	....	visual effects editor
Conrad Dueck	....	3D supervisor: Frantic Films
Jeannine Dupuy	....	visual effects set coordinator
Janet L. Earl	....	visual effects production supervisor
Mark Felt	....	compositor: CIS Hollywood
Jesse Fernley	....	compositor: CIS Hollywood
Alex Fry	....	digital compositor: Rising Sun Pictures
William Gammon	....	compositor: Rising Sun Pictures
Amy Garback	....	CG artist: CIS Hollywood
Julia Gaudette	....	visual effects coordinator: CIS Hollywood
Larry Gaynor	....	senior paint/roto artist
Kyle Goodsell	....	digital compositor
Ryan Grobins	....	lighter
Pam Hammond	....	visual effects
Bryan Hirota	....	visual effects supervisor: CIS Hollywood
Simon Holden	....	Inferno artist: CIS Hollywood
Simon Holden	....	compositor: CIS Hollywood
Chris Hopkins	....	paint/wire removal
Wensen Ho	....	digital compositor: Creo Collective
Rusty Ippolito	....	CG supervisor
Bryan Jones	....	lead compositor: Rising Sun Pictures
Brad Kalinoski	....	digital compositor
Patrick Kavanaugh	....	digital effects supervisor: CIS Hollywood
Patrick Keenan	....	digital compositor: Pacific Title Digital
Sean Konrad	....	digital compositor
Keiko Koyama	....	digital effects co-producer: Pixel Playground
Maryjane Layani	....	production accountant: CIS Hollywood
Derek Ledbetter	....	visual effects
Cory Lee	....	production assistant: Pixel Playground
Don Lee	....	visual effects supervisor: Pixel Playground
Kim Lee	....	visual effects producer: Pixel Playground
Bob Lyss	....	compositor: CIS Hollywood
Andrew MacDonald	....	visual effects
Heather MacPhee	....	roto/paint artist
Scott McLain	....	digital compositor
Gregory L. McMurry	....	visual effects supervisor
Rob Menapace	....	motion control operator
Chris Mizutani	....	production assistant: Pixel Playground
Alex Murtaza	....	lighting artist: Frantic Films
Robert Nall	....	digital artist
Marc Nanjo	....	compositor: CIS Hollywood
Glenn Neufeld	....	visual effects
Gregory Oehler	....	senior compositor: CIS Hollywood
Julie Orosz	....	visual effects producer: CIS Hollywood
Chris Pember	....	lead lighting/rendering: Frantic Films
Brad Pitre	....	lead modeller
Janet Quen	....	digital effects compositor
Natasha Rand	....	conceptual designer
Tony Rush	....	video assist operator: pyrotechnic unit
Chris Ryan	....	CG artist: CIS Hollywood
Steven Schmidt	....	visual effects coordinator: Creo (as Steve Schmidt)
Linda Schubell-Sundlin	....	assistant effects editor
Evan Shipard	....	digital compositor: Rising Sun Pictures
Vicki Silva	....	digital compositor
Brian Smallwood	....	digital artist
Cecile Tecson	....	rotoscope artist
Joel H. Thornton	....	digital effects artist
Allen Tracy	....	visual effects production assistant
Darren Wall	....	previs
James Whitlam	....	visual effects producer: Rising Sun Pictures
Johnny Wilson	....	visual effects
Garson Yu	....	creative designer: opening sequence
Ken Zorniak	....	visual effects
Grant Adam	....	technical director (uncredited)
Chris Allen	....	research & development supervisor: CIS Hollywood (uncredited)
Judith Bell	....	digital artist (uncredited)
Jeremy Burns	....	digital compositor: CIS Hollywood (uncredited)
Jason Cobill	....	visual effects lead (uncredited)
Feliciano di Giorgio	....	digital compositor: Creo Collective (uncredited)
Karin Eunson-Ross	....	visual effect producer: Frantic Films (uncredited)
Donald Fly	....	general manager: CIS Hollywood (uncredited)
Mark Halsall	....	visual effects producer: Frantic Films (uncredited)
Terence Krueger	....	previs artist (uncredited)
Danny Lee	....	digital compositor (uncredited)
Allan McKay	....	visual effects animator (uncredited)
Mark Nelson	....	visual effects production assistant (uncredited)
Mark Robben	....	digital compositor: Pixel Playground (uncredited)
László Sebõ	....	technical director (uncredited)
George Taylor	....	compositor (uncredited)
Blair Werschler	....	animator: Frantic Films (uncredited)
Kyle Yamamoto	....	research and development programmer: CIS Hollywood (uncredited)

Stunts
Mark Aisbett	....	stunts
Mark Antoniuk	....	stunts
Brett Armstrong	....	stunts
Scott J. Ateah	....	stunts (as Scott Ateah)
Shawn Beaton	....	stunts
Guy Bews	....	stunts
Curt Bonn	....	stunts
Jake Brake	....	stunts
John Branagan	....	stunts
Jason Calder	....	stunt actor
Douglas Chapman	....	stunts (as Doug Chapman)
Gilbert B. Combs	....	stunts (as Gil Combs)
Mike Crestejo	....	stunts
Vince Crestejo	....	stunts
Garvin Cross	....	stunts
Mike Desabrais	....	stunts
Duane Dickinson	....	stunts
Mike Dopud	....	stunts
Joe Doserro	....	stunts (as Joe Desarro)
Diana Dutra	....	stunts
Ryan Ennis	....	stunts
Dane Farwell	....	stunts
Bill Ferguson	....	stunts
Bruce Fontaine	....	stunts
Corry Glass	....	stunt double: Uma Thurman
Corry Glass	....	stunts
Tom Glass	....	stunts
Alex Green	....	stunts
Randy Hall	....	stunts
Adrian Hein	....	stunts
Leanne Hindle	....	stunt performer (as Leanne Buchanan)
Kim Howey	....	stunts
Kathy Hubble	....	stunts
Terry Jackson	....	stunts
David Jacox	....	stunts
Keii Johnston	....	stunts
Ken Kirzinger	....	stunts
Jon Kralt	....	stunt double: Michael C. Hall
Bob Kursar	....	stunts
Larry Lam	....	stunts
Paul M. Lane	....	utility stunts
William Lawrence	....	stunts (as Bill Lawrence)
Terrance Leigh	....	stunts (as Terrence Leigh)
Don Lew	....	stunts
Cotton Mather	....	stunts
Tom McComas	....	stunts
Steven McMichael	....	stunt performer
Daniel B. Melles	....	stunts (as Daniel Melles)
Billy Morts	....	stunts
Scott Nicholson	....	stunts
Gerald Paetz	....	stunts
Rick Pearce	....	stunts
Dan Redford	....	stunts
Matt Riley	....	stunts
Jimmy N. Roberts	....	stunts
John Sampson	....	stunts
Darryl Scheelar	....	stunts
Rick Seaman	....	stunts
Dan Shea	....	stunts
Sharon Simms	....	stunt double
Sharon Simms	....	stunts
Mary Ann Skoll	....	stunts
Kimani Ray Smith	....	stunts (as Kamani Ray Smith)
Gregg Smrz	....	stunt coordinator: USA
Heath Stevenson	....	stunts
Ronn Surels	....	stunts
Steve Thos	....	stunts (as Steve Thoss)
Frank Torres	....	stunts
Angela Uyeda	....	stunts
Rene Van Hullebush	....	stunts
Owen Walstrom	....	stunt coordinator: Canada
John Wardlow	....	stunts
Claire Webb	....	stunts
Rob Wilton	....	stunts
Roxanne Wong	....	stunts
Paul Wu	....	stunts
Kirk Caouette	....	utility stunts (uncredited)
Shane Cardwell	....	stunt driver (uncredited)
Laura Lee Connery	....	stunts (uncredited)
Crystal Dalman	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dane Farwell	....	stunt double: Colm Feore (uncredited)
Gary Guercio	....	stunt driver: camera bike (uncredited)
George Josef	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tom McComas	....	stunt double: Ben Affleck (uncredited)
Scott Nicholson	....	stunt driver (uncredited)
James Ralph	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jimmy N. Roberts	....	motorcycle stunt double: Ben Affleck (uncredited)
Ronn Surels	....	stunt fight choreographer (uncredited)
Frank Torres	....	stunt rigger (uncredited)
Rob Wilton	....	stunt driver (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Roger Bailey	....	generator operator
Larry Blanford	....	director of photography: second unit
Bruce Borland	....	rigging gaffer: second unit
Brian Bouma	....	first dolly grip
Simon Bright	....	video assist operator
Alex M. Cacciarelli	....	video assist operator: motion control
Cliff Cenerini	....	rigging grip
Reid Cohoon	....	dolly grip: "b" camera
Douglas Curran	....	still photographer
Jesse Deacon	....	electrician
Dan Delgado	....	gaffer
Lance Fisher	....	additional camera operator
Stuart Haggerty	....	gaffer: Canada
Jeff Harvey	....	best boy electric
Kevin Haverty	....	assistant camera
Saul Herckis	....	grip: nuclear explosion unit
Seth Hettrick	....	rigging grip
Junichi Hosoi	....	Steadicam operator
Junichi Hosoi	....	camera operator: "a" camera, second unit
Alan Jacoby	....	additional second assistant camera
Lynne Kam	....	grip
Ciaran Kavanagh	....	camera operator
David Kohler	....	lamp operator
David Kurvers	....	additional video assistant operator: second unit
David Lourie	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Gregory Lundsgaard	....	Steadicam operator
Gregory Lundsgaard	....	camera operator
Stephen Maier	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera, second unit
David McKnight	....	digital video assist operator: splinter unit
Michael McLellan	....	dolly grip
Klaus Melchior	....	video playback coordinator
Tim Milligan	....	crane technician
Scott Mitchell	....	rigging best boy
Paul Mitchnick	....	camera operator: second unit
Ryan Monro	....	dolly grip: second unit
Paul T. Murakami	....	daily grip
Marty Naucler	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Daniel Nichols	....	first assistant camera: pickup unit
Craig Nix	....	crane operator: Technocrane
Phil Pastuhov	....	aerial director of photography
Dean Reca	....	grip
Jim Rose	....	assistant chief lighting technician: Los Angeles
Dave Roughley	....	lighting technician
Trig Singer	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Steve Smith	....	key grip
David Tickell	....	gaffer: second unit
Jerrod Tiffin	....	rigging gaffer
Roger Vernon	....	director of photography: splinter unit
Stefan von Bjorn	....	Steadicam operator: splinter second unit
Stefan von Bjorn	....	camera operator: "a" camera: splinter second unit
Pat Waller	....	lead man setup grip
Lance White	....	digital video assist operator: second unit
Gary J. Williams	....	second grip
Thomas Yardley	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Rob McEwan	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Robert M. Sagaser	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)

Animation Department
Tim Linklater	....	animator

Casting Department
Heike Brandstatter	....	casting: Canada
Andrea Brown	....	extras casting
Coreen Mayrs	....	casting: Canada
James Moore	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Isabel Bloor	....	costume set supervisor: second unit
Marco Daxton	....	set costumer
Sondra Durksen	....	truck costumer
Jenny Eagan	....	costumer
Terry Haws	....	costumer
Meg Matthews	....	dresser: Mr. Affleck

Editorial Department
Carolle Alain	....	first assistant editor
Derek Brechin	....	additional editor
Tony Chiu	....	apprentice editor
Kris Cole	....	assistant editor
John Dietrick	....	post-production assistant
Mark Fitzgerald	....	assistant editor
Warren Hickman	....	assistant editor
Robert Malina	....	assistant editor: avid
Dennis McNeill	....	color timer
Peter McNulty	....	first assistant editor
Stephen M. Rickert Jr.	....	assistant editor
Kevin Willis	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Sally Boldt	....	music editor: temp score
Bob Bornstein	....	music preparation
Thomas A. Carlson	....	music editor
Sandy DeCrescent	....	orchestra contractor
Bruce Fowler	....	orchestrator
T.J. Lindgren	....	composer: additional music
Tommy Lockett	....	music editor: temp music
Ladd McIntosh	....	orchestrator
James McKee Smith	....	composer: additional music
Yvonne S. Moriarty	....	orchestrator
Shawn Murphy	....	scoring mixer
Stephanie Murray	....	score stage administrator
John Ashton Thomas	....	composer: additional music
Paul Wertheimer	....	score recordist

Transportation Department
Blue Angus	....	transportation coordinator
Tim Fortin	....	transportation coordinator: second unit
Ryan Moroz	....	transportation co-captain
Mike Sassen	....	transportation captain
Bruce Scott	....	driver: crane opperator
Larry Tardif	....	transportation dispatcher

Other crew
Michael Alvarado	....	production assistant
Chera Bailey	....	body double
Jasmine Barry	....	production coordinator
Karen Bergen	....	first assistant accountant
Leon Thomas Braun	....	key production assistant
Simon Bright	....	key production assistant
Brooke Brooks	....	assistant: Mr. Davis
Bruce L. Brownstein	....	location manager: Vancouver
Carol Sue Byron	....	production accountant
Melanie Cadham	....	assistant: Mr. Leopold
Chay Carter	....	assistant: Mr. Affleck
Eunice Choi	....	production assistant
Suzanne Clements-Smith	....	accounting clerk (as Suzanne Clements)
Casey B. Collins	....	assistant: Mr. Woo (as Casey Collins)
Rick Davis	....	assistant: Mr. Affleck
Vincent Dela Luna	....	production assistant
Justin Elsworth	....	production assistant
Nicole Florian	....	production coordinator: second unit
Natalie Fokes	....	construction accountant
Robert 'Rock' Galotti	....	weapons coordinator (as Robert 'Rock' Galotti)
Jennifer Giannone	....	accounting clerk
Georgia Giannopoulos	....	assistant: Mr. Eckhart
Alexander Glua	....	production assistant
Rob Graham	....	computer playback operator
Ian Guns	....	remote head technician
Simon Hall	....	computer playback operator
Cate Hardman	....	script supervisor
Mark Hoeppner	....	security officer
Joseph Keideth	....	security: Mr. Affleck (as Joe Keideth)
Randy Kennedy	....	production assistant
Rick Kramer	....	production assistant
Patricia LaMagna	....	assistant: Ms. Thurman
Breanne Larrett	....	second assistant production coordinator
Flemming Lund	....	assistant location manager
Gwen MacQueen	....	assistant accountant
Sarah Mahoney	....	production assistant
Jess Malkin	....	production assistant
Marc Marcum	....	story editor
Tom Metz III	....	assistant: Ms. Macaulay (as Tom W. Metz III)
Liane Moore	....	production team
Daniel E. Parr	....	first assistant auditor
Brittany Philion	....	assistant: Mr. Woo
Bronwyn Preston	....	publicist
Elysia Bliss Pyne	....	production assistant
Ryan Robertson	....	main title producer
M. Ross-Michaels	....	first assistant accountant
Selena Scheirer	....	office production assistant: second unit
Paisley Shaw	....	location coordinator
Michele Lee Shellenberg	....	payroll accountant
Darius Siwek	....	production assistant
Josh Skye	....	office production assistant
Adrienne Sol	....	first assistant production coordinator
Kevin Stadnyk	....	weapons coordinator
Chris Thoma	....	assistant location manager: second unit
Stephen Tibbetts	....	stand-in
Christopher Tipton	....	assistant: Mr. Davis (as Chris Tipton)
Jack Veldhuis	....	production assistant: second unit
Todd Weinger	....	assistant: Mr. Chang
Terry Wong	....	production assistant
Angeles Woo	....	assistant: Mr. Woo
Steve Woodley	....	head animal trainer
Yukio Yamada	....	production assistant: second unit
Jason Ybarra	....	key craft service: Los Angeles
Jason Yee	....	production assistant
Cheri Yeung	....	assistant: Mr. Chang
Garson Yu	....	title designer
John Zubatiuk	....	trainee assistant locations
Terence Chase	....	set security (uncredited)
Dar Larizadeh	....	balloon light technician (uncredited)
David Milhous	....	studio team (uncredited)
Justin Parkinson	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Gordon Piper	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• DreamWorks SKG (as DreamWorks Pictures)
• Paramount Pictures
• Davis Entertainment
• Lion Rock Productions
• Solomon/Hackett Productions (in association with)

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (2003) (USA) (theatrical) (North America)
• DreamWorks Distribution (2003-2004) (non-USA) (theatrical) (all other territories)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2004) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2004) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2004) (Germany) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2004) (Spain) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2004) (France) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2004) (Italy) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2004) (Japan) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2004) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2004) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount (2004) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Paramount (2009) (Sweden) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD) (VHS)

Special Effects

• CIS Hollywood (visual effects)
• CREO (visual effects)
• Frantic Films (visual effects)
• Pixel Playground (visual effects)
• Rising Sun Pictures (visual effects)
• yU+Co. (visual effects: opening sequence)
• Pacific Title and Art Studio (additional visual effects)
• Howard Anderson Company, The (additional visual effects)
• Applied Effects (additional visual effects)
• Sessums Engineering (additional visual effects)
• Frantic Films (pre-visualization)
• Applied Effects
• Frantic Films (monitor graphics)
• Sessums Engineering

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  cranes and dollies
• Digital Filmworks  scanning and recording
• Frantic Films  pre-visualization
• Mary Nelson-Fraser & Associates  negative cutting
• Pacific Title  titles and opticals
• Paramount Pictures Scoring Stage M  music recorded and mixed at
• Paramount Studios  sound post-production
• Varèse Sarabande  soundtrack published by
• yU+Co.  main titles

Also Known As:

La paye (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense action violence and brief language.

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | Iceland:14 | Malaysia:18SG | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:12A (original rating) | UK:12 (video rating) (2004) | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Burrard SkyTrain Station, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

Among one of the items in the envelope is Michael's ID card from Alcom Corporation. In an FBI office scene there is a close shot of the card with a UPC bar-code 071486036043. This code corresponds to Premiere Magazine published by Curtis Circulation Company.

Goofs:

Continuity: Rachel's necklace while she is in the hotel room.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Holographic Woman: It's time to wake up... and get a life. We live in a 3-dimensional world. Until now, the world of computing has been a flat world, consisting of 2-dimensional imagery. Now, through the use of exclusive breakthrough technology, ARC has made it possible for you to get a life. A-Life, where we can work and play in a lifelike world of 3-dimensional reality. A-Life, the living monitor.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The DiCaprio Code (2006)

Soundtrack:

Happy Birthday to You

Intriguing premise is made mildly enjoyable, but ultimately unsatisfying.

Rating: ** out of ****

I wonder what it says about the state of cinematic science fiction that most of author Philip K. Dick's adaptations generally mix high-octane action with its interesting sci-fi concepts. Paycheck is no exception, hardly a surprise when you note it's from once beloved Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo, who's quickly reaching Michael Bay/Roland Emmerich levels of notoriety in the U.S. with each regressive film.

To be fair, Paycheck isn't unenjoyable, and it even gets off to a pretty good start. Set sometime in the near future, there's not much of a noticeable difference with our present time except for a few elaborate-looking gadgets and computers. Ben Affleck stars as Michael Jennings, a reverse engineer who's hired by major corporations to build products superior to all rival companies. Afterwards, his memory is erased by a partner of his (Paul Giamatti) and he's given a large paycheck for his time and troubles (usually the whole process takes about three months).

His latest offer comes from an old friend of his (Aaron Eckhart), who promises an eight-figure deal at the end of the transaction. The catch is that the whole procedure will take three years. Despite some reluctance, he agrees to the deal and when the three years pass by, Jennings, thinking he's a rich man, is shocked to discover he gave up over ninety million dollars in favor of an envelope containing twenty everyday household items. Now he finds himself on the run from both the FBI and the company that hired him, and must set out to discover what he built during those three years he's missing.

Uma Thurman also stars in the movie as Jennings' girlfriend during that three-year span, but she factors so lazily into the picture, she's obviously only in the film so that a) Jennings can have a love interest and b) he can also have someone to talk to about every little discovery he makes. Then again, function "b" could have worked just as well with Giamatti, but everyone knows a "sexy" chick is a better sell (I have to put quote marks around sexy because Thurman looks positively haggard for almost every minute of screen time she's present; I can't help but feel the much hotter Kathryn Morris would have done better in the role).

There are two concepts in this movie that specifically intrigue me (some moderate spoilers here), the first one is choosing deliberately to erase your own memory, but the notion is forgotten after the first half-hour. I was quite curious to know exactly what the process is like to the subject. Take, for instance, the fact that he lost his memory over the three-year span. Does the last thing he remembers feel like a three-year old memory or an event that happened just a second ago? Instead, all we get is a half-hearted (actually, not even that much) attempt at a sorrowful romance because he can't remember his girlfriend and she's not very happy about that.

The other major sci-fi concept, the ability to see into the future, isn't explored with much more interest and it leads to a number of baffling questions. You see (quite a few spoilers here), it's revealed Jennings sent himself those twenty items because they can come in handy at a specific moment that'll help him survive or escape from a dangerous situation.

But the thing is, Jennings couldn't have known each item would come in handy unless he used the device he built at least twenty times, because there's no way he'd know a motorcycle would come in handy if he never had, say, the bus ticket to escape from the FBI, meaning he used the device to see what he needed to escape the FBI, but still foresaw that he'd be killed in even more future events. That would mean this guy was originally destined to die or get caught in well over ten different scenarios (i.e. he had the bus ticket to escape, but if he didn't have the motorbike keys, he wouldn't have gotten further, and so on and so forth), but this is never really addressed.

By John Woo standards, there's surprisingly only a modest amount of action in the film, but at least the material is competently handled, even if it's not entirely believable. What might work in movies that establish their characters as supercops with impeccable aims doesn't come off quite as well in action scenes that feature scientists beating up a large number of armed goons. But if you suspend disbelief, the action scenes are pretty fun (especially the motorcycle chase and the laboratory battle), and coupled with the relatively fast pace, keep the movie perfectly watchable despite the poor script and mediocre acting (I never got into specifics, but this is Ben Affleck and Uma Thurman we're talking about).

When all is said and done, Paycheck is a wasted opportunity and is never as memorable a mixture of science fiction, mystery, and action as Minority Report, but it's likely to do the trick for undemanding fans of any of these genres. If you expect more, well, you'd do best to remember this is John Woo we're talking about, not Steven Spielberg.