_**Amusing neo-noir in Chicago with Mel Gibson, Gregg Henry and Maria Bello**_

After a heist with an Asian gang, a no-nonsense man (Mel Gibson) is left for dead by his accomplices (Gregg Henry & Deborah Kara Unger) in the underbelly of the Big City, but he unexpectedly recovers and wants vengeance, not to mention his $70,000. Maria Bello, Lucy Liu, William Devane, Kris Kristofferson, James Coburn and other notables are on hand.

"Payback" (1999) is modern film noir with colors so muted it’s almost B&W (although I hear the Director’s Cut heightens them). It’s a remake of Coburn’s “Point Blank” (1967) and is ‘hip’ & entertaining in an amusing Tarantino kind of way, although it’s nowhere close to the greatness of “Pulp Fiction” (1994) or even “Jackie Brown” (1997). However, my wife liked it more than me and gave it 7/10, but then she’s a fan of Gibson.

The film runs 1 hour, 40 minutes, and was shot mainly in Chicago, along with Mount St. Mary's College in Los Angeles with studio stuff done in Burbank. There’s also an establishing shot of Manhattan.

GRADE: B-