Payback: Straight Up
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Payback: Straight Up

Year:
Duration:
USA:90 min
Genres:
Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller
IMDB rate:
7.7
Director:
Brian Helgeland
Details
Country: USA
Release Date: 2007-04-10
Filming Locations: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Cast
Actor
Character
Kwame Amoaku
Radioman (archive footage)
Justin Ashforth
Michael The Bartender (archive footage)
Len Bajenski
Fairfax Bodyguard #1 (archive footage)
Maria Bello
Rosie
Kate Buddeke
Counter Girl (archive footage)
Hugh Callaly
Businessman (archive footage)
Roddy Chiong
Chow's Thug #2 (archive footage)
Stephen Cinabro
Val's Goon #2 (archive footage)
James Coburn
Justin Fairfax
Jack Conley
Det. Leary
Debra L. Dado
Sneaker Lady (archive footage)
James Deuter
Tailor (archive footage)
William Devane
Carter
Bill Duke
Det. Hicks
Tom Equin
Razor Clean #1 (archive footage)
Mel Gibson
Porter
John Glover
Phil
Pat Healy
Outfitter Goon (archive footage)
Brian Heinberg
Bartender #2 (archive footage)
Gregg Henry
Val Resnick
Alex Henteloff
Varrick's Manager (archive footage)
Jeff Imada
Chow's Bodyguard (archive footage)
Michael Park Ingram
Chow's Thug #1 (archive footage) (as Michael Ingram)
Sally Kellerman
Bronson (archive footage) (voice)
Robert Kim
Chow's Courier (archive footage)
Kris Kristofferson
Bronson
Robert Kurcz
Oakwood Arms Manager (archive footage)
Johnny Lancaster
Washroom Guy #2 (archive footage)
Lucy Liu
Pearl
Turk Muller
Black Suit (archive footage)
Chet Nichols
Oakwood Arms Tough #1 (archive footage)
David Paymer
Arthur Stegman
Roderick Peeples
Workman (archive footage)
Yasen Peyankov
Panhandler (archive footage)
Ed Pfeifer
Ed Johnson (archive footage)
Katrina Phillips
Teller (archive footage)
Andrew Rothenberg
Backpack Man (archive footage)
Michael Skewes
Fairfax Bodyguard #2 (archive footage)
Alex Skuby
Oakwood Arms Tough #2 (archive footage)
Christian Stolte
Val's Goon #1 (archive footage) (as Christian Stolti)
Daniel Patrick Sullivan
Razor Clean #2 (archive footage)
Tedd Taskey
Waiter (archive footage)
Manu Tupou
Pawnbroker (archive footage)
Deborah Kara Unger
Lynn Porter
Marc Vann
Gray (archive footage)
Martin Yurek
Washroom Guy #1 (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)
Did you know?
Trivia
This is Brian Helgeland's version of Payback (1999). Helgeland was replaced by John Myhre as director after Helgeland was fired from the original.
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During the DVD documentaries and commentaries included in this version of Payback, director Brian Helgeland states that he can now appreciate the theatrical, audience-friendly cut created from his movie. At the time he wrote and directed Payback, his commentary reveals that with the 1970's, gritty, crime-drama tableau, the unhappy ending was in keeping with the outcomes of so many of the popular films of that period.
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Deborah Kara Unger broke two ribs in the scene where Mel Gibson beats her. She was stated that she was having fun flying around and getting slammed into things and did one too many.
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Goofs
When Porter sits on the sidewalk to wait for Rosie, the blue backpack is about a foot behind him. Although Porter later says "Backpack, backpack," and Rosie replies, "Got it," when Rosie first comes around the car, the backpack is nowhere to be seen.
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When Porter and Val run their Nova into the Chows' car, although the cars have impacted and come to a dead stop, the reaction shot of Porter and Val shows buildings still moving past the side windows. Also, Porter's head has snapped forward all the way to the steering wheel before Val even reacts to the crash.
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Quotes
Val Resnick: Beauty of the Chows is that they won't go to the cops. They keep everything in house... and they don't feel pain the way we do.
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Rosie: How strong are you, Porter? Personally, I think you are the strongest man I have ever met. But I wonder if it's enough.
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Arthur Stegman: You're not gonna fuckin' kill me, are you?
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Faq
Q
What are the differences between the director's cut and the theatrical version?
A
Here are some general differences between the theatrical cut and the director's cut:* Porter's voice over and the "blue tint" are absent in "Straight Up".* The score by Chris Boardman has been replaced by a new one by music editor Scott Stambler. All of the songs featured in the theatrical cut are missing, except for "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" performed by Dean Martin.*Terry Hayes's writing credit is absent.* Improved picture and sound quality, as well as editing in some scenes.* Some minor changes/additions in the opening and the closing credits.These are scene-specific differences between "Straight Up" and the theatrical cut:The theatrical version begins with Porter in the doctor's apartment, and he has the bullets removed from his back. The director's cut begins with Porter walking on the bridge, returning to the city as dialogue from the double-cross is heard.In the theatrical version, Porter climbs over a railing in the subway station. The director's cut removes this bit.In the theatrical version, the bum on the street thanks whoever drops change into his hat. In the director's cut, he's ungrateful, calling it small change. Also, the camera angle is different when Porter steals his money and chokes the bum.In the theatrical version, after Porter kicks in the door to Lynn's apartment and searches for Val, he carries his wife into the bedroom and puts her to bed. In the director's cut, after he doesn't find Val, Lynn and Porter drink coffee in the kitchen. Porter questions her about Val's whereabouts, but she doesn't know. All she knows is that he is back in with the syndicate, and he pays her rent every month by way of messenger. Porter beats Lynn up and throws her hard on the floor. He then shows her the picture of him and Rosie together, saying that it was before he met Lynn. His wife asks about Rosie, and Porter tells her he used to drive her back in the day, when they both worked for a pimp. Then he carries Lynn into the bedroom.In the theatrical version, a close-up of Porter's mouth piece on the ground is shown (during the Chow's robbery). The director's cut removes this bit. Also, in the theatrical version Porter says to Lynn "Daddy brought home the bacon, baby" before entering the getaway car. The director's cut removes this line.In the theatrical version, when Porter confronts Stegman with the heroin and they talk outside, all of Stegman's dialogue is audible. In the director's cut, sounds of a train passing by mute some of Stegman's lines, showing that Porter knows he's lying and he is getting annoyed by it.In the theatrical version, when Pearl enters the elevator in Val's building, a man can be heard making a noise like a dog. The director's cut removes this noise.In the theatrical version, after Val hangs up the phone and tells Pearl that he's working, she motions for him to come closer and then hits him in the crotch, telling him that she's working. The director's cut removes Pearl's last hit.In the theatrical version, Porter questions a hooker in a bar about Rosie. He bribes her to point him in the right direction of someone who may know where she is. She tells him to talk to Michael, the bartender. The director's cut removes this scene, and cuts from Val hanging up the phone to meeting Stegman in the restaurant.In the theatrical version, Rosie tells Porter where Val lives and then he leaves. In the director's cut, after she tells him where Val lives, she says that after all this time Porter hasn't even asked her how she's doing. Porter groans and asks her if she needs any money. She throws an object at him, but he catches it in his hand. Rosie tells him to get killed and says that she ought to warn Val that he's coming.After being beaten in his apartment, the film cuts immediately to Val meeting with Carter in his office. In the director's cut, Val goes to meet Carter but is first frisked by Gary, who finds three guns hidden all over his body. Val says that he's just been having some trouble recently, and Gary says that he knows. Once he clears him, he allows him to enter Carter's office.In the theatrical version, after Val leaves, Phil contemplates killing Val but Carter says that he's more worried about Porter. He also says that he doesn't want Bronson to find out about the situation, since it would make Carter appear soft. The director's cut removes this scene.In the director's cut, after Val leaves Carter's office, Val's thugs learn that they are being reassigned to someone else. Val walks outside and acts like everything's alright, but his thugs tell him about being reassigned. As they leave, Val calls them useless and berates them for not protecting him the previous night. After they drive off, Val says "I'll do it myself. Do it myself. You want it done, you got to do it yourself! It's the American way!" while standing in front of Carter's building.In the theatrical version, when Val calls Pearl, she beats a client of hers for making noises while she is talking on the phone. The director's cut removes this bit and plays the phone call scene more seriously.In the theatrical version, when the Chows hit Porter with their car, they circle around him and then Pearl says "Yeah, that's Porter. He's shit for brain". The director's cut removes this line.In the theatrical version, Val shoots Porter the dog but it lives. In the director's cut, the dog dies.The theatrical version has Phil and two thugs trying to blow up Porter and Rosie while they stay at a hotel. Porter sees the trap and kills the thugs (including Phil) by blowing up their car. The director's cut removes this scene.In the theatrical version, Porter goes to Carter's building and asks to meet with Carter. While being frisked by Gary, it cuts to Porter walking inside the office and knocking out Gary and another thug. In the director's cut, the frisking scene is longer. Gary thanks Porter for killing Val, and then finds a roll of coins in his pocket. He sarcastically asks him if he's saving up, and Porter tells him that every little bit counts. He then uses the coin roll to knock out the thugs.The dialogue is different when Porter meets Carter. He has Carter call Bronson and says that he wants to talk with him, but Carter corrects him by stating that Bronson is a "her".In the theatrical version, when Carter raises his left arm into the air after being shot. The director's cut removes this. Also, Mrs. Bronson can be heard sending thugs over to Carter's building once he dies, and then she threatens Porter.In the theatrical version, Rosie nervously waits for Porter in a restaurant. Porter's softer side is then shown during their following conversation. The director's cut removes this scene.In the theatrical version, while waiting for Porter outside of Fairfax's house, Stegman says "Porter and Fairfax. I bet that will be a short conversation". The director's cut removes this line.The dialogue is different when Porter meets Fairfax. After Porter fires a shot into Fairfax's luggage, Bronson caves in and asks Porter where to meet so that she can give him his money. He sets up the drop-of for the subway station, at the end of the line, and tells her to have one man carry the money in a backpack. Fairfax survives this version.In the theatrical version, after Stegman is shot to death, he makes a squeal noise when his body slumps forward. The director's cut removes this bit.In the theatrical version, after the shootout with the Chows, Porter and Pearl try to shoot each other but they are both out of bullets. Shortly afterwards Porter is knocked out, kidnapped, and tortured by Bronson's men for kidnapping Bronson's son. In the director's cut, after Porter tries to shoot Pearl but finds that his gun is empty, he walks off and steals a nearby shipping truck. Since the Bronson subplot has been significantly changed, Porter is no longer kidnapped and tortured.The ending is vastly different from this point on. In the director's cut, Val's thugs wait for Porter outside of the subway station. Rosie drives the stolen truck in front of one car so that Porter can sneak into the backseat and hold the thug at gunpoint. He forces him to pick up the other thug (who's on the other side of the street), and then Porter handcuffs them together in the back of the truck. One of them makes a lewd comment towards Rosie, and so Porter tells her to meet him at the other side of the station. After she leaves, Porter executes the thug in cold-blood. He then walks into the station and spots another hitman waiting for him. The hitman tells him that there are others in the mens bathroom, so Porter knocks him out and goes to the bathroom. Porter stands in a stall between two hitmen. They recognize Porter and try to kill him, but Porter is faster on the draw and kills them both (the gunshots are muted by the passing trains). Porter goes out to the track, where he spots two more hitmen waiting for him. He sneaks up behind one and forces him to sit down next to the other, who's disguised as a working man. The disguised hitman has a gun in his lunchbox and hands it over to Porter. A train arrives, and Porter forces both of them to board it while he stays behind at the station. The train leaves and a woman tries to get on but is too late. Porter gets suspicious of another man waiting for the train, but it turns out he's innocent. Porter spots a man carrying the money in the backpack like he ordered. The thug tries to leave after giving him the backpack, but Porter orders him to open it. When the thug bends down, a female hitman (the same woman who tried to get on the train with the other hitmen) shoots Porter in the chest. Porter and the hitwoman shoot at each other, causing the thug to get caught in the crossfire. Porter kills the hitwoman, and then finishes the wounded thug off. He groans in pain, reloads his gun, grabs the backpack, and stumbles outside. Phil, Gary, and their driver are waiting outside when they spot Porter. Phil can't believe that Porter is still alive. Gary gets out and tries to shoot him, but Porter kills him and fires a shot through the windshield, wounding Phil. The driver and Phil speed off as Porter sits down on the ground. He thinks about all that's happened, and as he does Rosie pulls up and helps him get into the car. They drive off and Rosie asks him what they're going to do about his bullet wound. Porter says that he knows somebody, and the film ends with them driving off (with the backpack of money).
Q
Why does this director's cut have its own IMDb page while the director's/extended/unrated cut of (insert movie title) only has one?
A
Much like Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, Payback: Straight Up - The Director's Cut has a significant number of changes, ranging from new scenes added to other scenes being removed/changed. On top of this, the entire color scheme was reworked, 98% of the music has been changed, and the finale of the film is completely different. In short, the two cuts are so different that they are just barely the same film.
Q
A note about spoilers
A
The following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones (if any) will be covered with spoiler tags. Spoiler tags have been used sparingly in order to make the page more readable.
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