Max Payne

Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Beau Bridges, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, Donal Logue, Chris O'Donnell, Kate Burton

Director: John Moore

A ludicrous, nonsensical action film based on a video game. A stony-faced Mark Wahlberg plays a cop out to avenge to death of his wife and child, but the rest of the plot is your guess as much as mine. Lots of special effects, including winged valkyrie seen by people on a drug manufactured by the bad guys, but no sense whatsoever.

New Bond girl Olga Kurylenko is soon torn to shreds (so these things are real?), while Wahlberg stalks down those mean streets and blasts the villains, the chief of whom is obvious from the start, into eternity.

This is probably the former Marky Mark's worst film, with ex-Batman co-star Chris O'Donnell wasted in a humiliatingly small role. The title of course is a pun, but the main 'max pain' here is inflicted on the viewer. A scene after the credits hints at, heaven forbid, a sequel.

David Quinlan

USA 2008. UK Distributor: 20th Century Fox. Colour by deluxe.
100 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 1, Drugs 0, Swearing 1.

Review date: 09 Nov 2008