miker,
I've long felt that most criticism is simply the backing up
of gut reactions. You and I clearly had different gut
reactions to Payback, so we're never going to change each
other's minds.
However, to clarify my points, it's wasn't so much for me
that Mel Gibson was a "nice" bad guy -- you're right, he
wasn't -- but that he was a likeable bad guy. His wisecracks
and constant smiling added a comic caper element to the movie
that seemed misplaced to me. I'm not saying I don't love many
comic capers, but that I found Payback's tone wildly uneven,
swinging from comic caper to dark crime. To me it seemed
obvious that the film had been grafted together.
It certainly was not me who said Tarantino avoided humor in
Pulp Fiction. Hell, I think of that movie as a comedy, and a
great one at that. I felt Tarantino's humor was totally
integrated, though. It was in the fabric of the movie, not
applied later to mitigate the horror. In many ways, the humor
of Pulp Fiction accentuates the bits of horror through
contrast or, as in the case of Marvin, by making you laugh,
then realize just how sick it is to be laughing at somone
getting their head blown off.
We do agree on one thing, though, you can't go wrong with
Lucy Liu.
That said, read the book. I absolutely guarantee you will
love it. It stands up on repeated readings, so it will
certainly stand up after seeing any one of the movie
adaptations, no matter which one you like best.
Mark
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