Payback is a 1999 American crime thriller directed by Brian Helgeland and starring Mel Gibson. The film shares the same source material as the 1967 noir-classic Point Blank, directed by John Boorman and starring Lee Marvin; both are based on the book The Hunter, written by Donald E. Westlake under the pseudonym of Richard Stark. The film was Helgeland's directorial debut after a career as a screenwriter. Helgeland in 2006 issued a director's cut that differs substantially from the version released by the studio. In a seedy basement, Porter lies severely wounded with two gunshot wounds in his... back. A whiskey drinking surgeon removes the bullets and Porter spends months healing. He then begins tracking down Val Resnick , his former partner, and Lynn , his ex-wife, both of whom betrayed Porter and left him for dead following a $140,000 heist from the Chinese triads. After leaving Porter for dead, Val rejoined the Outfit, a powerful criminal organization, using $130,000 of the heist money to repay an outstanding debt. Porter is intent on reclaiming his $70,000 cut and gets himself a gun by pawning watches.
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| Release date: | February 5, 1999 |
| Directed by: | Brian Helgeland |
| Rated: |  |
| Runtime: | 100 Minutes |
| Producer: | Bruce Davey |
| Editor: | Kevin Stitt |
| Music by: | Chris Boardman |
| Cinematography: | Ericson Core |
| Screenplay by: | Brian Helgeland, Terry Hayes |
| Estimated budget: | $50,000,000 |
| Adapted from: | The Hunter |
| Genre: | Thriller, Action, Comedy |