DVD Corner

Pay Back DVD Review

“Pay Back” is nowhere near as thrilling as it tries to be.

Not to be confused with the Mel Gibson starring “Payback,” the 2013 film “Pay Back” is a Chinese action-thriller about a Triad member (Zhang Jin) fresh out of prison, assassination attempts on Zhang’s life, a cab driver (Yang Yan) with a secret, a horrific past crime, and a scumbag crime boss (Hai). How do all of these plots weave together? That would be spoiling the story.

While “Pay Back” attempts to be a fast-paced crime story, it fails to excite. Not only is the story fairly generic, but the over-the-top drama takes you out of the movie. You feel like you’re watching a movie instead of being absorbed in the story.

It doesn’t help that director Fu Xi and editors Gao Shan and Yang Xin create a rather frantic style too. Personally, I’m not a fan of films that jump from scene to scene in a distracting fashion and that’s precisely what this film does. It’s a case of style over substance.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.35:1. How does it look? A decent transfer.

Audio Tracks: Mandarin and English Dolby Digital 5.1. How do they sound? The English dub is goofy so stick with the original language Mandarin track instead.

Extras:
* Digital copy.
* Lionsgate trailers.

Overall Thoughts: I don’t think many people will be clamoring for “Pay Back” nor should they.

March 31, 2016 - Posted by nicklyons1 | DVD review | Pay Back DVD Review