Public Servant Lifestyle

They can remember it for you wholesale, but can big screen Daredevil Ben Afleck and Uma Thurman work out the mystery in time?

Paycheck

Based on the short story by Philip K. Dick, Paycheck is about world famous genius Michael Jennings (Ben Affleck - star of Daredevil, Changing Lanes, Kevin Smiths' Dogma, Good Will Hunting and The Sum Of All Fears), who does specialized projects for high-tech corporations. Once a job is complete, his memory is erased so as not to divulge any company secrets.

Highly paid for his work, Jennings expects to earn $4.4 billion for his latest 5-year project, but upon completion of the job, instead of a big paycheck, he is given an envelope full of random objects and told that he has agreed to forfeit all payment.

With his memory erased per usual, Jennings has no defense, until he discovers that the objects are clues to his past. Now, with the help of Rachel (Uma Thurman - of Kill Bill, Splash and Blade Runner fame), the woman he has worked with and loved for the last three years, Jennings is in a race against time to put the pieces of his past together before the people he once worked for have him killed.

Ben Affleck came to prominence at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival, when he starred in Kevin Smith’s comedy Chasing Amy and Mark Pellington’s coming-of-age tale Going All the Way. He captured an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award in 1998 for his first script, Good Will Hunting, which he co-wrote with Matt Damon. He segued into big-budget action with Armageddon, and was among the ensemble cast of the Academy Award-winning Shakespeare in Love.

In 2000, Affleck partnered with Matt Damon, Chris Moore and Sean Bailey to form Live Planet, Inc. Their first endeavor, Project Greenlight, aired on HBO and drew critical raves for its behind-the-scenes look at the challenges faced by a first-time filmmaker. The second season of Project Greenlight aired on HBO at the beginning of June 2003. Affleck and Bailey also co-wrote the innovative drama Push, Nevada, which aired on ABC in the fall of 2002.

Uma Thurman has proven herself to be one of the most versatile young actresses by playing a variety of compelling characters. The daughter of a psychologist and a college professor, Thurman was raised in Amherst, Massachusetts, and Woodstock, New York. She attended a preparatory school in New England, where at 15, she was discovered by two New York agents. At 16, she transferred to the Professional Children’s School in New York City in order to pursue an acting career.

Thurman has starred in numerous films during her career although her most notable to date has to be the Tarantino hit film Kill Bill: Vol. 1, and will next be seen in the sequel, Kill Bill Vol. 2.

And the man behind the lens for this new cyberpunk outing? None other than Hong Kong legen Mr. John Woo. Director and Producer on the film, Woo began his illustrious career as a filmmaker in Hong Kong, where he spent more than two decades at the center of a thriving film industry directing nearly 30 feature films. He was known primarily as a comedy specialist until the mid-1980s when he created a series of inspired romantic gangster dramas that broke box-office records.

Jackie Chan

Born in Guangzhou, China in 1946, Woo moved to Hong Kong with his family when he was four years old. He was educated at Matteo Ricci College and, at age 19, began making experimental films. In lieu of film school, Woo sought entry-level positions in the flourishing Hong Kong film industry.

In 1971, he began working as an assistant director at Shaw Brothers. Just two years later he made his directorial debut with The Young Dragons. He was then signed to an exclusive contract at Golden Harvest. Two more successful martial arts films followed, The Dragon Tamers and The Hand of Death, the latter featuring action superstar Jackie Chan in his first major screen role.

Cantonese Opera

Woo found equal success with a Cantonese opera film, Princess Chang Ping, after becoming a major force in Asian filmmaking with a string of eight hit comedies, including Money Crazy and From Riches to Rags.

Woo left Golden Harvest in 1983 and joined a new company, Cinema City, where he directed the romantic gangster film A Better Tomorrow starring Chow Yun-Fat and Leslie Cheung. Woo’s lush crime thrillers with Chow - which also include the brilliantly choreographed, character-driven action film The Killer and Woo’s last Hong Kong-produced film, Hard Boiled - won enthusiastic fans among audiences and filmmakers around the world. Woo also directed Bullet in the Head, set in wartime Vietnam, the comedy action caper Once a Thief and A Better Tomorrow II.

Woo made his U.S. feature film debut with Hard Target starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. In 1994, he formed WCG Entertainment with his producing partner, Terence Chang. Under this banner, Woo directed Broken Arrow starring John Travolta and Christian Slater and Face/Off starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. The latter was an enormous box-office hit for the Hong Kong director and was praised by critics worldwide. He then went on to direct Mission: Impossible 2 starring Tom Cruise. A phenomenal success both domestically and internationally, the film opened to the highest grossing weekend figures in Paramount Pictures’ history.

Once a Thief

Woo kept busy between his feature films directing pilots for television, including Once a Thief, an adaptation of his feature film, and Blackjack.

As well as being involved in films, he also has been involved in various commericail direction including the world famous Nike Brazilian Football Commercial in 1998. In 2001, he won a World Stunt Award for 'Best Action Movie Director'.

In 2000, Woo formed Lion Rock Productions with partner Terence Chang, and directed and produced his epic WWII drama Windtalkers and produced the Chow Yun-Fat vehicle Bulletproof Monk. Since then, Woo has directed the BMW short film Hostage starring Clive Owen (Children of Men).

Paycheck is out now on DVD.

More information available in DVD / Home Video