'Max Payne' Gets a Dark Trailer!
Filed under: Action, Fandom, Games and Game Movies, Trailers and Clips
The first trailer for Max Payne has arrived online, and it looks pretty good. Based on the popular video game (of which I've played some), Payne stars Mark Wahlberg as a former NYC detective whose family was murdered. Three years later, he finds himself working undercover for the DEA deep inside the Punchinello crime family. So he's got issues and he's got a pretty important (and dangerous) gig -- something is bound to go wrong.
The game itself includes slo-mo scenes -- kinda like that Matrix stuff -- and based on this trailer, it seems we'll get a fair amount of it in the film (which also seems to have a Sin City sorta vibe to it too). It definitely looks highly-stylized, which seemed to work for this summer's Wanted. John Moore directs, after giving us films like Behind Enemy Lines and The Omen, while the very beautiful Mila Kunis co-stars alongside other folks like Beau Bridges, Ludacris and Chris O'Donnell (who it's nice to see back on the big screen as of late).
Check out the trailer above, and let us know what you think -- especially for those fans of the video game. Can Max Payne become one of those rare successful video game adaptations? It hits theaters on October 17.










Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-10-2008 @ 10:30AM
Will B said...
Well, I loved playing the games. Lots of style, lots of fun, and just the right about of HAM-acting. It all just worked for me. Throw Marky-mark on top of that and you got my $10 for sure.
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7-10-2008 @ 5:01PM
automagV said...
Hell yeah!
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7-10-2008 @ 9:53AM
Astin said...
The slow-mo stuff is expected since it's a key component of the games. It was a brilliant addition when the games came out, making nearly impossible gun battles easy as you could now dodge bullets and take down a group with your kung-fu styles.
Still not sure how I feel about the movie though...
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7-10-2008 @ 9:58AM
alan said...
yawn
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7-10-2008 @ 10:16AM
Peter Hall said...
As a huge fan of the game, I sadly must say this trailer does very little for me. The game's defining mechanic - the slow motion - was integral to the gameplay, but the story (the real hook of the game) was beautifully told and quite a rare break in the typically flaccid 'narratives' of most run and gun games. So until a trailer comes out that shows that superior aspect of Max Payne, I can't get even remotely excited about the movie.
Until then, if there is a then, it just looks like interchangeable stylized post-production stroking to me.
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7-10-2008 @ 10:27AM
Max said...
It actually looks like it could be a somewhat promising adaptation... Faithful, right down to the bullet-time dive... Though what the hell is with all those angels? They pull someone out a window and are apparently in the subway system...? Weird...
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7-10-2008 @ 10:55AM
colby said...
Told my buddies, this is either going to be really good or really bad ... I don't think there's to much middle ground.
I just can't see myself walking out of the theater thinkin', "Yeah, it was okay."
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7-10-2008 @ 10:56AM
Rulother said...
I would like to point out to anyone that didn't know that Max Payne had bullet time before the Matrix even came out, so this is no copy cat in that fashion. I loved the game to death, but not a fan of Marky Mark yet I have some faith in this movie. I'll check it out on the day it comes out for sure though.
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7-10-2008 @ 11:39AM
Jonathan Kuhn said...
The Matrix came out in March 1999.
Max Payne came out in July 2001.
They might have been developing the bullet-time stuff already, but they were definitely influenced by The Matrix.
Not that that's a bad thing.
7-10-2008 @ 11:18AM
Paul said...
As long as those dark angles are metaphorical manifestations of a Valkyr-riddled mind, sign me the hell up.
Looks like they may have nailed the two things that make Max Payne great: bullet time and giant snow flakes. Oh, and over-the-top, grizzled inner monologue.
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7-10-2008 @ 11:19AM
Paul said...
Angels, not angles. Oops.
7-10-2008 @ 11:23AM
JimeneX said...
what about the music? I love that little piano ballad that the game has.
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7-10-2008 @ 11:41AM
Jonathan Kuhn said...
It looks like it could be interesting. As people have alluded to in the comments, my favorite thing about the game was in the unique way the narrative unfolded. The dream sequences, which you had to play through, were pretty freaky.
In fact, my friend and I got so creeped out by the sound it made where you "died" on one of the dream stages that we turned the volume off. (We kept falling a lot.)
Of course, part of that was due to the fact that it was 3 in the morning.
If the film has creepy dream sequences in addition to cool action, I'm game. (No pun intended.)
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7-10-2008 @ 11:58AM
madgamer said...
This looks freakin awesome. I loved the second max payne game and I'm glad this is looking like it will turn out well.
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7-10-2008 @ 12:39PM
oversandal said...
Wait a second. Was that Jamie Hector (Marlo Stanfield from the Wire) in the beginning of the trailer. If it is, I will watch this movie as the Wire fanatic.
Other than that, the movie seems pretty good. I was never a big fan of Mark Wahlberg, and it's been awhile since he starred in the decent movie (uh... the Departed?), but this may be the one.
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7-10-2008 @ 4:31PM
Smiggy said...
Mila Kunis kicking ass? Sign me up! Oh wait, this is Marky Mark playing Max Payne? Sign me up again! Oh wait, it's a fairly big-budget R-rated action movie video game adaptation with enough bullets to make Hitman wet his pants? Sign me up for Christ's sake! I want to see this movie, I've been playing Max Payne for five years now. Haven't beaten the second dream yet...
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7-13-2008 @ 11:10AM
Andy said...
Both Wahlberg and Kunis have gone on record saying it'll be PG-13, though, judging by the trailer it'll be at the upper limit of what's acceptable.
7-10-2008 @ 9:57PM
kaitlin Hess said...
Its just such a shame that "Wanted" came out before this because i think it stole alot of this movie's thunder and style so to speak.....the whole time i was watching "Wanted" i couldn't help but think of "Max Payne".....unfortunately i feel like audiences will not be impressed with the whole bullet time , slow mow stiff because it was already done in "Wanted" as well as the matrix. But i for one will definitely be seeing this.
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9-11-2008 @ 9:16PM
DirtyDuddy said...
can someone help me in my quest to find out who wrote the song for the trailer. to me it sounds like jon davis from korn but im just not sure if anyone has any info please let me know
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