Payback: A Tale of Two Versions

[Markgway]

A list of the differences (at least the ones I noticed) between the Theatrical Cut (TC) and Director's Cut (DC) aka Straight Up of PAYBACK.

First up are three differences that affect the entire movie:

1. The blue-filter applied to the TC which gave it a neo-noir look has been removed so that in the DC the image is brighter and more natural.

2. Chris Boardman's TC score has been replaced for the DC by a similar (ie. jazzy) score by Scott Stambler.

3. The hard-boiled voiceover heard in the TC has been removed entirely.

Now the specific scene changes:

1. The TC opens with Porter (Mel Gibson) having his bullets removed by a dodgy doc. The DC misses this and opens with Porter walking across the bridge (and hearing flashback voices). The TC goes to the bridge (minus the voices) after the doc's. In the DC it's never explained how or where Porter gets treated for serious GSWs.

2. Dialogue from the beggar in the street is different: in the TC he's "a crippled Vietnam vet" (a cynical touch); in the DC he's just a standard beggar.

3. The credit for Kris Kristofferson on the TC has been changed to one for Sally Kellerman's voice on the DC

4. The screenplay credit on the DC is only for Brian Helgeland; on the TC he shares co-credit with Terry Hayes (who wrote the new material).

5. After Porter breaks into his wife's (Deborah Kara Unger) apartment the DC restores a conversation/domestic argument in which the two fight each other; this raises coherency problems not found in the TC which cuts straight from Mrs. Porter slumped on the floor to Porter carrying her into the bedroom. How can she be high as a kite one minute, completely lucid the next (during the kitchen scene), and then high again the following scene?

6. A couple of lines between Pearl (Lucy Liu) and Val (Gregg Henry) found only in the TC:
Val: "Can't you see I'm working here?"
Pearl punches him--
Pearl: "Can't you see I'M working here?"

7. In the TC Porter has a conversation in a bar with a hookerwhere he asks if she knows Rosie (Maria Bello)? (This explains how he knows where to find the bartender).

8. In the DC as Porter leaves Rosie's apartment he says something to offend Rosie so she throws an ashtray at him. In the TC it cuts after she gives him Val's address.

9. Val being searched outside of Carter's (William Devane) office - and found in possession of a load of guns - is only in the DC.

10. In the TC there's an extension to Carter's office scene in which he makes it clear to Phil (John Glover) that he wants Porter taken care of.

11. Val's rant outside Carter's building about doing things himself after his car is driven away was cut from the TC (wisely- as it's a poor scene)

12. In the TC there's a new scene showing Porter carrying Rosie's wounded dog (it's presumed dead in the DC) into his apartment and subsequently finding the phone bomb; this material would be irrelevant to the DC.

13. The following scene in which Porter cuts the fuel line of Phil's car and drops a cigarette to ignite the leaking gas, which in turn causes the car to explode is only in the TC (probably one of the most stylish scenes in the movie).

14. When Porter is frisked outside Carter's office something (a roll of quarters?) is found in his pocket, but this footage was cut from the TC.

15. When Porter talks to Carter the TC seemlessly intercuts a new scene with Kristofferson and his son Johnny (a character who's not even mentioned in the DC) where his birthday present is discussed; in the DC the whole scene plays in Carter's office with Kellerman's voice on the loud speaker. Now Kristofferson has all the phone dialogue (but we see him deliver much of it). Any reference in the DC to "Mrs" Bronson has been redubbed to "Mr".

16. In the TC Porter meets Rosie in a cafe where he explains he didn't just come back for the money - he came back for her. This makes their relationship more romantic than in the DC.

17. In the TC a new scene in which Porter drives Rosie to the boxing arena (this ties in nicely with earlier references to him being her driver).

18. In the TC Porter finds Johnny in the arena by having his name put up in lights.

19. In the TC outside the arena Rosie tells Johnny she's his birthday present (lucky fucker!) to get him alone in the limo. Once inside she cuffs him to the door. (This is the only time in the film in which Rosie's "profession" actually comes into play).

20. At Fairfax's (James Coburn) home reshot inserts in the TC change Mrs to Mr again - and the phone voice of Kellerman from the DC is replaced with new shots of Kristofferson on the phone. Porter has new dialogue which explains he's kidnapped Johnny and wants the money delivered personally.

21. After Porter shoots the Chinese in the van - in the TC he's clubbed from behind and dragged away by Bronson's men. Pearl is then punched out for calling the hood "fat boy". In the DC Porter just walks away from her.

22. The entire beating/hammer torture scene is missing from the DC. Which means my favourite line from Bronson: "I promise you won't find out what your left ball tastes like" is missing. A less violent visit to the train station is the DC replacement. Here Porter picks off the waiting henchman, but gets shot by a sneaky female commuter (a nice touch). Porter wastes her and then grabs the money and leaves the station. Outside the station he takes pot shots at Phil's car (yes, he's lives in the DC, as does Fairfax), before Phil drives off. Porter collapses only to be revived by Rosie and bundled into her car. They drive away from the station with Porter looking borderline dead (it's ambiguous as to whether that final expression is his last).

23. Back to the TC and after the torture Porter find himself sealed in a car trunk whilst Bronson, Fairfax and co go up to Porter's apartment to find Johnny (this sequence is intercut with shots of Rosie in AN apartment to give us the impression it might be Porter's place); Porter manages to cut thru the upholstery to make the phone call. "You were right not to trust me". Boom.

24. Porter picks up Rosie who leaves Johnny alive and drives off with the cash for a new beginning. (Unfortunately that includes the "I got hammered" line" - the only bad addition to the TC IMO).

25. Classic Dean Martin song plays over the closing credits in the TC; in the DC its more score. In fact, judging by the songs playlist there's a fair bit more music in the TC.

Well, that's it. Hope that gives a good idea of what's added and deleted. As you can probably tell, I much prefer the TC, which is more romantic, more coherent, and more elaborate in its plotting. Some (but not all) of the new DC material is good (the train station sequence is fine) but as an overall film it's not an improvement.

[saltysam]

i was the opposite,i preferred the DC. Both versions are decent though and i still own both,the DC on hd-dvd.

[Markgway]

I won't buy the DC. I'll keep my DVD of the TC until there's a BD upgrade. Warners have the international rights so hopefully unlike Paramount they'll gives us the TC or at least BOTH cuts.