| Photos (see all 2 | slideshow) |
| Maria Bello | ... | Rosie (archive footage) | |
| Hugh Callaly | ... | Businessman (archive footage) | |
| Stephen Cinabro | ... | Val's Thug (archive footage) | |
| James Coburn | ... | Justin Fairfax (archive footage) | |
| Jack Conley | ... | Det. Leary (archive footage) | |
| Debra L. Dado | ... | Sneaker Lady (archive footage) | |
| William Devane | ... | Carter (archive footage) | |
| Bill Duke | ... | Det. Hicks (archive footage) | |
| Mel Gibson | ... | Porter (archive footage) | |
| John Glover | ... | Phil (archive footage) | |
| Gregg Henry | ... | Val Resnick (archive footage) | |
| Sally Kellerman | ... | Mrs. Bronson (archive footage) (voice) | |
| Lucy Liu | ... | Pearl (archive footage) (as Lucy Alexis Liu) | |
| David Paymer | ... | Arthur Stegman (archive footage) | |
| Roderick Peeples | ... | Hit Man on 'L' Platform (archive footage) | |
| Christian Stolte | ... | Val's Thug (archive footage) (as Christian Stolti) | |
| Deborah Kara Unger | ... | Lynn Porter (archive footage) | |
| Richard Cotovsky | ... | Homeless man at end (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Gene Kelly | ... | Bank patron (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Sterling Wolfe | ... | Elevator hood (archive footage) (uncredited) |
Directed by | |||
| Brian Helgeland | |||
Writing credits | ||
| Brian Helgeland | (screenplay) | |
| Donald E. Westlake | (novel "The Hunter") (as Richard Stark) | |
Original Music by | |||
| Scott Stambler | |||
Film Editing by | |||
| Kevin Stitt | |||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Sandy Struth | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Matthew W. Mungle | .... | special prosthetics | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Mark Cotone | .... | first assistant director (as Mark Catone) | |
| Jennifer D'Angelo Kircher | .... | second assistant director: second unit | |
| Vince Duque | .... | dga trainee | |
| Forrest L. Futrell | .... | first assistant director: second unit | |
| Franklyn Gottbetter | .... | additional second assistant director: Chicago | |
| Jayson Merrill | .... | second second assistant director: Chicago | |
| Laura Nisbet | .... | second assistant director | |
| Mic Rodgers | .... | second unit director | |
Sound Department | |||
| John K. Adams | .... | sound editor | |
| Bobbi Banks | .... | dialogue editor (as Bobbie Banks) | |
| Bill W. Benton | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| Beth Bergeron | .... | dialogue editor | |
| Keith Bilderbeck | .... | sound editor | |
| Trip Brock | .... | dialogue editor | |
| Chris Carpenter | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| Michael Chandler | .... | sound editor | |
| Gary Coppola | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| Stephanie Flack | .... | dialogue editor | |
| Cindy Jo Hinkleman | .... | assistant sound editor | |
| Jon Johnson | .... | sound supervisor | |
| Rick Kline | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| Derek Marcil | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| Miguel Rivera | .... | sound editor | |
| Solange S. Schwalbe | .... | dialogue editor (as Solange Schwalbe) | |
| Bruce Stubblefield | .... | sound supervisor | |
| Robert Troy | .... | dialogue editor | |
| Ben Wilkins | .... | sound editor | |
| Chris Winter | .... | assistant sound editor | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Michael Ahasay | .... | special effects technician: Chicago (as Mike Ahasay) | |
| Blair Foord | .... | special effects technician (as Blair F. Foord) | |
| Frank Krenmuller | .... | special effects technician: Chicago | |
| Bob Stoker | .... | special effects supervisor | |
| Mario Vanillo | .... | special effects technician | |
Stunts | |||
| Mic Rodgers | .... | stunt coordinator | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Bob Fernley | .... | digital intermediate producer | |
| Brian Han | .... | digital intermediate production assistant | |
| Natasha Leonnet | .... | digital film colorist | |
| Jack Lewars | .... | digital intermediate colorist assist | |
| Theresa Repola Mohammed | .... | negative cutter | |
| Stephen M. Rickert Jr. | .... | first assistant editor | |
Music Department | |||
| Arlene Fishbach | .... | music clearances | |
| Gordon Goodwin | .... | conductor | |
| Gordon Goodwin | .... | orchestrator | |
| Jim Harrison | .... | supervising music editor | |
| Wade Hubbard | .... | composer: additional music | |
| Peter Rotter | .... | music contractor (as Peter Rodder) | |
| Michael T. Ryan | .... | supervising music editor | |
| Jeanette Surga | .... | music editor | |
| Thomas Vicari | .... | scoring mixer (as Tom Vicari) | |
| Nick Vidar | .... | music programmer | |
Other crew | |||
| Al Cerullo | .... | helicopter pilot | |
| Beth Unger Morrison | .... | script clearance | |
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| Payback | Scarface | The Godfather | Cidade de Deus | Sin City |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| IMDb Action section | IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |
Payback revisited and a whole new ending. I wanna get this off to begin with; I really like the original cut. It's been circulating for years that it was the result of studio tinkering and the director wasn't all that pleased with the final version. Given that many films suffer similar fate and with disastrous results I thought maybe Payback was the exception.
Gone here is the blue bleach filter look, a lot of the music score which has been filled in with new cues, some alternate scenes throughout and some excised and a whole new final act. Everything is good here. I liked Porter's confrontation with his wife (brutal and uncompromising), the music score does help in giving it a darker tone and the new ending is fitting.
But I must say that the difference in quality between this Director's Cut and the original theatrical one isn't huge. Call me crazy but I actually miss Mel's voice over and I thought the bluish look suited the film. The humour has been downsized drastically and Porter's mean side has been fleshed out a bit more, which is good by the way. I just don't think one can be called great and the other crap.
The film plays more like a direct homage to the old 70's crime flicks and as the director explains that was what he was going for. The original does feel a bit lighter but that wasn't maybe such a bad thing. This darker version leaves more unanswered as to how Porter got back from the dead (but probably everyone has already seen the theatrical cut so they already know) and is more understated and mood driven.
To sum it up; Payback: Straight Up is an excellent companion piece to a first rate film. It's good to see director Helgeland's cut restored to his liking and it thoroughly deserves to be seen. Now fans can pop the film in the player that best suits their mood. The original a bit lighter and the latter more moody. It doesn't go wrong either way.