History Film / Payback

''Payback'' is a 1999 crime {{thriller}} directed by Brian Helgeland and starring Creator/MelGibson. It is the second adaptation of Richard Stark's ''[[Literature/{{Parker}} The Hunter]]'', the first of which being Creator/LeeMarvin's ''Film/PointBlank''.

Six months ago, Porter (Gibson), a successful but low-profile [[ConsummateProfessional thief who specialized in payroll jobs]], was content. He had a nice home, a loving wife named Lynn, and was financially stable. That all changed when he partnered up with Val Resnick (Creator/GreggHenry), a former partner trapped in debt, to steal $140,000 from the Triads. When the job went perfectly, everything seemed alright... except Val's debt was $130,000, and he never intended on sharing the spoils.

* AssholeVictim: Everyone Porter actually uses violence against is a bad person in some way, ranging from leaders of organized crime to a [[FelonyMisdemeanor panhandler claiming to be a disabled veteran.]]

* BackAlleyDoctor: An alcoholic one who drinks from the same liquor he sterilizes his tools in.

* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: To a degree. Porter's not greedy, he just wants what he should have gotten in the first place.
* ASimplePlan: How complicated could it be for Porter to track down Val and force him to give the money back? A lot more complicated than you would think, apparently.

* AssholeVictim: Everyone Porter actually uses violence against is a bad person in some way, ranging from boss's of organized crime to a [[FelonyMisdemeanor panhandler claiming to be a disabled veteran.]]

* FromCamouflageToCriminal: While absolutely no attention is called to it, Porter has a [[SemperFi USMC tattoo]] that is seen when he is taking a shower, and proves himself to be a quite successful and tremendously ruthless criminal. His survival reflexes might also indicate military training.

** For the Outfit, it ''is'' the principle of the thing -- $70,000 is a joke to them, one of the leaders commenting that the suits that Porter had shot up were worth more than that. But they can't give money to everyone who demands it, and once Porter starts using force, they can't give in for fear of being seen as weak.

** For the Outfit, it ''is'' the principle of the thing -- $70,000 is nothing to them, but they can't just give money to anyone who walks in the door.

** In the theatrical release, Carter himself seems faintly amused by Porter's clarification, murmuring "touché."

* BigBad: Bronson.

* {{Determinator}}: Porter.

* DirtyCoward: Arthur Stegman.

* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: [[{{Squick}} With a hammer]].

* ComicallySmallDemand: Porter is out to topple a massive criminal empire unless he gets... $70,000. Various crooks and mobsters keep assuming that he at least wants the full $130,000 that Resnick gave them, but Porter insists that he just wants his $70,000 share. One exasperated mob boss exclaims, "My ''suits'' are worth more than that!"

Six months ago, Porter (Gibson), a successful but low-profile [[ConsummateProfessional thief who specialized in payroll jobs]], was content. He had a nice home, a loving wife named Lynn, and was financially stable. That all changed when he partnered up with Val Resnick (Gregg Henry), a former partner trapped in debt, to steal $140,000 from the Triads. When the job went perfectly, everything seemed alright... except Val's debt was $130,000, and he never intended on sharing the spoils.

* ItsThePrincipleOfTheThing: Asked once of Porter regarding why he's so driven to get back just seventy thousand dollars. Porter snarks back that "stop, you're getting me all misty" before [[RunningGag reminding the man who asked him]] to remind the Outfit that it's ''just'' seventy thousand dollars, ''not'' a hundred and forty, and leaving.

* ComicallySmallDemand: Porter is out to topple a massive criminal empire unless he gets... $70,000. Monsters keep assuming that he at least wants the full $130,000 that Resnick gave them, but Porter insists that he just wants his $70,000 share. One exasperated mob boss exclaims, "My ''suits'' are worth more than that!"

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:Pearl.]]

Now, with the help of Rosie (a hooker he used to drive around years ago, played by Creator/MariaBello), Porter's back to claim his share of the job. It doesn't matter if he has to work his way through drug dealers, [[TheTriadsAndTheTongs Triads]], [[DirtyCop bent cops]], TheSyndicate, and a mob-connected dominatrix (Creator/LucyLiu), Porter ''will'' get his $70,000.

[[quoteright:291:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/payback.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:291:''[[TagLine Get ready to root for the bad guy]].'']]

Now, with the help of Rosie (a hooker he used to drive years ago, played by Creator/MariaBello), Porter's back to claim his share of the job. It doesn't matter if he has to work his way through drug dealers, [[TheTriadsAndTheTongs Triads]], [[DirtyCop bent cops]], TheSyndicate, and a mob-connected dominatrix (Creator/LucyLiu), Porter ''will'' get his $70,000.

In 2005, a director's cut of the film, entitled ''Payback: Straight Up'' was released on home video featuring the original cut of the film before 30% of it was reshot. It is much DarkerAndEdgier than the final version, with Porter as a ruthless VillainProtagonist rather than an AntiHero.

* FromCamouflageToCriminal: While absolutely no attention is called to it, Porter has a [[SemperFi USMC tattoo]] that is seen when he is taking a shower, and proves himself to be a quite successful and tremendously ruthless criminal.

[[caption-width-right:291:[[TagLine Get ready to root for the bad guy]].]]

* BlackAndGrayMorality: Big time.

* ComicallySmallDemand: Porter is out to topple a massive criminal empire unless he gets... $70,000. Monsters keep assuming that he at least wants the full $140,000 that Resnick made off with, but Porter insists that he just wants his $70,000 share. One exasperated mob boss exclaims, "My ''suits'' are worth more than that!"

* PercussivePickpocket: Porter does this at the beginning, among other unscrupulous things.

* RunningGag: No one ever seems to get that Porter doesn't want the whole $140,000, just the $70k that was his share. He keeps reminding them... sometimes violently.

* VillainHasAPoint: Although who the villain may be here [[VillainProtagonist is debatable]], the Outfit is fairly justified in refusing to refund Porter's money. The Outfit didn't steal the money from Porter or ask Val to do it for them, and Porter only had the money in the first place since he stole it from somebody else. One of the Outfit's managers points out quite reasonably that Porter is asking them to cover Val's personal obligations for no good reason.
* VillainProtagonist: The main character is definitely a bad guy. In fact, there is no hero in the movie, only shades of villain. The Director's Cut makes this even clearer.

Six months ago, Porter (Gibson), a successful but low-profile [[ConsummateProfessional thief who specialized in payroll jobs]], was content. He had a nice home, a loving wife named Lynn, and was financially stable. That all changed when he partnered up with Val Resnick (Gregg Henry), a former partner trapped in debt, to steal $140,000 from the Triads. When the job went perfectly, everything seemed alright...except Val's debt was $130,000, and he never intended on sharing the spoils.

Now, with the help of Rosie (a hooker he used to drive years ago, played by Creator/MariaBello), Porter's back to claim his share of the job. It doesn't matter if he has to work his way through drug dealers, [[TheTriadsAndTheTongs Triads]], [[DirtyCop bent cops]], TheSyndicate, and a mob-connected dominatrix who looks an awful lot like Creator/LucyLiu ([[MyFriendsAndZoidberg oh, and]] [[ButtMonkey Stegman]], [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg too]]), Porter ''will'' get his $70,000.

In 2005, a director's cut of the film, entitled "Payback: Straight Up", was released on home video. This cut is notable for several reasons. For starters, it has a much warmer color palette, an entirely different musical score, and is noticeably shorter than the theatrical cut. However, the most striking difference between the two is the characterization of Porter himself. In the theatrical cut, Porter is a sarcastic thief with a HiddenHeartOfGold who frequently gives [[FirstPersonSmartass wry voice over narration]]. In the Straight Up cut, Porter is a ruthless VillainProtagonist who never cracks a joke and almost exclusively looks out for himself, with Rosie being the only possible exception.

* AntiVillain (Type I): Porter is no white knight, he's a murderer and a thief out to steal back something he stole in the first place. He kills, mutilates, and brutalizes without mercy as a method to expedite his robbery. He just looks [[ALighterShadeOfGray less]] [[BlackAndGrayMorality tarnished]] than his sadistic, back-stabbing, racist, woman-beating ex-partner. The Director's Cut loses even this distinction, and Porter is just a straight-up villain, albeit the focus of the story.

* ComicallySmallDemand: Porter is out to topple a massive criminal empire unless he gets... $70,000. Monsters keep assuming that he at least wants the full $130,000 that Resnick made off with, but Porter insists that he just wants his $70,000 share. One exasperated mob boss exclaims, "My ''suits'' are worth more than that!"

* ReCut: The Director's Cut removes the narration, cuts certain scenes, and completely changes the ending of the film.

* DisappointedByTheMotive: A GrayAndBlackMorality (or BlackAndBlackMorality, in the Director's Cut) version of this trope is the crux of the RunningGag: there is absolutely ''nobody'' willing to believe that Porter is willing and able to take on the entire criminal underworld of the city for an amount as low as $70,000 (they assume that ''at least'' it is for the $140,000 that the heist Val Resnick backstabbed Porter on gave out. Porter keeps on correcting them that it's just the $70,000 (to the point that when he's finally given the money, the fact it's $140,000 makes him do an exasperated eye roll)).
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: The opening of the movie is Porter [[{{Jerkass}} being a dick]]. Jumping turnstiles, robbing a begging "crippled Vietnam veteran", stealing wallets, skipping out on lunch checks, not tipping...
** However, it also establishes him as a pragmatic dick, as he eventually turns the $3 taken from a homeless man into a steak dinner, a fine suit, and a pistol.
** And after stealing cigarettes from a waitress, he still stops on his way out of the diner to get the two cents' change of his payment (when it may have been more practical to leave them, it's just ''that'' inconsequential an amount). This (and his narration at the beginning) shows him as a man who, when he says he's owed $70,000, yes, he means it's ''exactly'' $70,000, and he's willing to do for those $70,000 what other people would do for at least a million (which is why none of the other crooks believe him).

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Fairfax ''hates'' torture and begs Porter to be reasonable and skip the whole interrogation routine. Also, Porter says that he won't kill Stegman in front of a bunch of schoolkids.

* MafiaPrincess: Bronson's son is a rare male example.

Six months ago, Porter (Gibson), a successful but low-profile [[ConsummateProfessional thief who specialized in payroll jobs]], was content. He had a nice home, a loving wife named Lynn, and was financially stable. That all changed when he partnered up with Val Resnick, a former partner trapped in debt, to steal $140,000 from the Triads. When the job went perfectly, everything seemed alright...except Val's debt was $130,000, and he never intended on sharing the spoils.

'''Porter:''' No, I just want my money back. (Turns and leaves)\\