Paycheck (released in theaters on Dec. 25, 2003) is a glossy sci-fi thriller built on a concept that should be irresistible: what if you willingly erase your own memories and then have to survive using only a bag of cryptic clues you left for yourself? The film delivers a brisk, sometimes charming genre exercise anchored by Ben Affleck and Uma Thurman.
The story centers on Michael Jennings (Affleck), a brilliant “reverse engineer” who legally steals and improves rival tech for corporate clients, then has his memories wiped after each job to protect everyone involved.
After years of short-term contracts, he accepts a mysterious three-year assignment from his old friend James Rethrick (Aaron Eckhart), the ruthless head of a powerful tech conglomerate.
When Michael’s memory is erased at the end of the project, he expects a massive payout—only to discover he has somehow signed away his fortune in exchange for a small envelope of random everyday items.
Before he can process the betrayal, he’s pursued by both the company and the government, accused of treason and murder tied to a top-secret invention.
On the run, Michael discovers that each odd object in the envelope—a key, a lighter, a pair of glasses, a ticket—has been planted by his past self, perfectly timed to help him escape and slowly piece together what he built.
Along the way, he reconnects with Rachel (Thurman), a scientist he worked with and loved during the erased years, and must confront the moral implications of a machine that can see into the future.
Affleck plays Michael as a capable but somewhat bland everyman, more reactive than truly haunted. Thurman brings a welcome mix of warmth and toughness, even if the screenplay gives their relationship shorthand instead of depth.
Supporting turns from Paul Giamatti, as Michael’s eccentric memory-wipe technician, Joe Morton as a determined federal agent, and a pre-Dexter Michael C. Hall add texture around the edges.
Kathryn Morris (Cold Case), Krista Allen, Colm Feore and Callum Keith Rennie round the cast.
John Woo (Broken Arrow, Face/Off, Mission: Impossible II, Hard Target, Silent Night) directed the film.
Uma Thurman and Ben Affleck in Paycheck (Photo/Paramount Pictures)
Reception for Paycheck
Paycheck grossed $13.5 million on its opening weekend, finishing fifth at the box office.
The film would gross $117.2 million worldwide.
Roger Ebert gave Paycheck two out of four stars in his review.
Legacy
Paycheck is a minor entry in both Woo’s and Philip K. Dick’s cinematic lineages.
It lacks the operatic emotionalism of Woo’s best action films and the heady paranoia of stronger Dick adaptations, but it remains a watchable relic of early-2000s techno-thrillers—interesting enough in concept to linger, even as the execution slips from memory.
