Stylistic Comparison of Payback and Point Blank

Both Point Blank and Payback typify their respective eras. These movies are great examples to use for style because the plots are relatively easy to follow so we are able to focus on the varying stylistic differences.

In Point Blank, Lee Marvin plays an ex-Mafia type named Walker bent on retrieving the money that slipped out of his hands when his partner shot and robbed him. The opening scene expresses the New Hollywood style perfectly. The movie opens in Alcatraz, the infamous island prison in California. New Hollywood is marked by on-location shooting due to the lower cost and easier transport of cameras and related equipment. The prison scene is dark, gritty, and confusing. It reflects Walker's state of mind after being shot and robbed and sets the tone for the whole movie. Walker is an unapologetic killer who will stop at nothing to recover his thousands of dollars. The movie never imparts Walker's first name (even his previous shady "employer" does not know it), and this serves to emphasize the mystique and danger swirling around him. Following the violence of the opening scene is more non-stop violence. Quite memorable is the scene where Walker calmly flings a car salesman around in a car he has taken for a "test drive." Like in the rest of the movie, he expresses little emotion besides anger. His penchant for zero expression would label him as "villain" in any other movie, but in the New Hollywood style, it has catapulted him to protagonist as a kind of anti-hero. Staying true to New Hollywood characteristics, the movie ends with uncertainty as Walker finally gets his money and rides off into the distance with no mention of his next move or future plans.

Thirty-two years later, a remake of Point Blank came out named Payback. Mel Gibson stars as the new Walker aka Porter. It is interesting that a filmmaker took a well-made, brash, violent movie and sexed it up into an ultra-violent, cheesy, loud movie. Payback follows the conventions of the Contemporary Hollywood style with attractive actors like Mel Gibson and Deborah Kara, likeable characters, much sex and violence, and an impossibly happy ending. One can immediately spot differences between movies simply from the movie posters. Both posters are similar in that they depict the protagonist with his gun. On the Point Blank poster, however, Walker is aiming his gun off into the distance with his head to the side in a detached, indifferent sort of way. On the Payback poster, Porter looks purposed with the tagline of "No More Mr. Nice Guy" emblazoned across his forehead. The tagline alone highlights the cheesy feel of the movie. The moviemakers recycled Point Blank into a movie with mass appeal. Payback spells out everything for the viewer. This was shown when the entire class missed the reason why Walker's wife died in Point Blank. In Payback, the camera focuses on Mrs. Porter's drug stash and the syringe sticking out of her arm after she administers the lethal dose. Someone only has to watch Payback one time to get the gist of it. With Point Blank, it is nearly impossible to catch everything the first time around; it is meant to be watched two, three, even four times. To make the Payback characters more likeable, writers inserted joke after unfunny joke. Personally, someone being tortured, shot, or dominated is not something that needs to be lightened up with a crass one-liner. Maybe the writers felt that exponentially increasing the amount of blood and violence warranted a comedic foil. Unlike Point Blank, Payback ends with a happy scene in which Porter gets his money and the girl. Multiple people just died, and Rosie and Porter are riding off into the proverbial sunset content with themselves.

Overall, I did not enjoy Payback. Lucy Liu's character was extraneous, the characters were too developed, and it was just too bright and slightly cheerful for its content. Point Blank, though confusing and fast-paced, was just right. Lee Marvin as the wronged, stoic anti-hero is perfect. Even the way he holds himself in the movie is vastly superior to Mel Gibson. This is obvious from the two pictures I posted. Walker, in an American shot, has his gun raised for the purpose of taking care of business. Porter, in a medium close-up, has his gun casually raised in a "I might use it, I might not" fashion that detracts from his persona. I prefer the cerebral New Hollywood style over the generic mass appeal of Contemporary Hollywood.