Paycheck

In the near future, Michael Jennings (Ben Affleck) works as an engineer on the reconstruction of complex devices. When he is paid, his memory is erased so that his knowledge of the job remains secret. His last job should have brought him 92 million dollars, but instead he only receives an envelope full of useless odds and ends - at his own request! When he promptly finds himself in danger, the supposed odds and ends can be used to save his life ... ‘All at once he was in motion’ is the first sentence of Philip K. Dick's short story of the same name, which John Woo adapts as a straightforward action thriller that relies on familiar set pieces but, for once, retains an essential quality of the great science fiction author: in contrast to film adaptations such as Blade Runner or Minority Report, Paycheck does not dress Dick's astonishing ideas in visions of the future, but relies on their interaction with the present. (Christoph Huber)

Photo: Austrian Film Museum