History Film / Paycheck

%%* CallToAgriculture

''Paycheck'' (2003) is a film adaptation of the Creator/PhilipKDick short story of the same name, starring Creator/BenAffleck, Creator/UmaThurman, Creator/PaulGiamatti, and Creator/AaronEckhart, and directed by Creator/JohnWoo.

##a postage stamp on the envelope - [[spoiler:contains microfilm with snapshots from the future – the fact that it's Albert Einstein on the stamp is a clue]].

##a pack of cigarettes - [[spoiler:used to escape from the FBI by setting off the fire suppressants in an interrogation room, creating a smoke screen – without it he would have died during interrogation]].

* CoolBike: The BMW R 1150R Rockster utilized in a chase scene. Which, of course, Jennings had bought ahead of time.

* AerosolFlamethrower: Used by Michael to take out a couple hitmen.

* ChekhovsArmoury: A deliberate, in-story invocation of this trope - The envelope that Jennings substituted for his paycheck contains helpful items.
** A single bullet but no gun. It's fired anyway, of course.
** The remote-controlled grabbing device in Rachel's lab, along with her thunder, lightning, and wind effects.

* CondensationClue: [[spoiler:Jennings wrote a note to his girlfriend on her bathroom mirror so she would know he hadn't abandoned her.]]

* HeroesPreferMotorcycles: Jennings assumes his key fob is for a BMW car, turns out he bought a CoolBike instead.

''Paycheck'' (2003) is a film adaptation of the Creator/PhilipKDick short story of the same name, starring Creator/BenAffleck, Creator/UmaThurman, Creator/PaulGiamatti, and Creator/AaronEckhart, and directed by Creator/JohnWoo. It was received poorly by critics, but made about $30 million more than its budget back at the box office.

* ActorAllusion: In this movie, UmaThurman plays a biologist who works in a garden/lab where she can call wind, rain and lightning. In previous films she has played [[Film/BatmanAndRobin Poison Ivy]] and [[Film/TheAdventuresOfBaronMunchausen the goddess Aphrodite]].

Michael Jennings has a great job. He's a reverse engineer, paid huge sums of money to figure out how rival technology works and improve on it. In exchange for his massive paycheck, he must have his memory wiped to prevent any information leaks. Life is good.

His latest project at Allcom was supposed to be his biggest yet, lasting three years and earning him enough money to finally retire - but something has gone wrong. His 8-figure payment has been replaced by a manila envelope full of random odds and ends. The FBI wants to talk to him about his apparent involvement in the death of another engineer. A lot of people are trying to kill him. Now Jennings finds himself in the strange position of having to reverse engineer his own future... before time runs out.

* ChekhovsArmoury: The envelope that Jennings substituted for his paycheck contains helpful items.

* TheDragon: John Wolf.

* FiveSecondForeshadowing: The bad guy stands in front of the machine that shows the future, but only sees his own back, as he is futilely trying to get away from the exploding machine. He realizes that this means the machine will explode, and futilely tries to get away from it.

* GambitRoulette: Jennings uses a MemoryGambit, prophecies and a time portal in his plan to out smart his opponents.

* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Literally. It happens to Jennings after every job to prevent data leaks.

* MexicanStandoff: happens 3 different times in the film!

''Paycheck'' (2003) is a film adaptation of the PhilipKDick short story of the same name, starring Creator/BenAffleck, Creator/UmaThurman, Creator/PaulGiamatti, and Creator/AaronEckhart, and directed by Creator/JohnWoo. It was received poorly by critics, but made about $30 million more than its budget back at the box office.

%%* MexicanStandoff:

%%* SpottingTheThread

%%* AerosolFlamethrower

%%* DisturbedDoves:

%%* GunpointBanter: Happens twice.

* CondensationClue

%%* OntologicalMystery
%%* PlotTailoredToTheParty

''Paycheck'' (2003) is a film adaptation of the PhilipKDick short story of the same name, starring Creator/BenAffleck, Creator/UmaThurman, Creator/PaulGiamatti, and Aaron Eckhart, and directed by Creator/JohnWoo. It was received poorly by critics, but made about $30 million more than its budget back at the box office.

His latest project at Allcom was supposed to be his biggest yet, lasting three years and earning him enough money to finally retire - but something has gone wrong. His 8-figure payment has been replaced by a manila envelope full of random odds and ends. The FBI wants to talk to him about his apparent involvement in the death of another engineer. And a lot of people are trying to kill him. Now Jennings finds himself in the strange position of having to reverse engineer his own future... before time runs out.

* AerosolFlamethrower
* CallToAgriculture
* ChekhovsArmoury: The envelope that Jennings substituted for his paycheck, though this one borders on {{Deconstruction}}.
* ChekhovsGun: Every item in the envelope, including a single bullet but no gun. Gets fired anyway, of course.
** Also, the remote-controlled grabbing device in Rachel's lab, along with her thunder, lightning, and wind effects.

* DisturbedDoves: Goes without saying. JohnWoo's trademark.

* GuiltyPleasures
* GunpointBanter: Happens twice.
* HeroesPreferMotorcycles: Michael assumes his key fob is for a BMW car, turns out he bought a CoolBike instead.
* HighConcept
* HotScientist: Michael Jennings meets a beautiful woman at a fancy dinner who turns out to be a biologist.

* ItMayHelpYouOnYourQuest: A rare film example. Justified here; the character knew exactly what was going to happen in the future and when (see NoteToSelf, below).
* LargeHam: Renthrick.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Literally.

* MexicanStandoff: It's a JohnWoo film after all.
* MoodWhiplash: An assassin attempts to take a shot at Jennings from behind his newspaper disguise while in a subway station. Then, suddenly, a small kid with a toy revolver approaches the assassin in disguise, and "shoots" him (saying something along the lines of "Bang! Bang! You're dead!"). The assassin, however, ignores him and takes out his long badass silenced pistol ({{BFG}}) to take aim at Jennings. The kid only seems [[UnusuallyUninterestingSight annoyed]].
* NoteToSelf: Made a bit difficult, as the only things Jennings could sneak out were innocuous items.
* OntologicalMystery
* PlotTailoredToTheParty
* QuestForIdentity

* SelfFulfillingProphecy: The stamps on Jennings' envelope demonstrate this. Images of newspaper articles show that the predictions the machine makes come true, usually because the people they are given to are too quick to jump to conclusions, thereby creating the very catastrophe they were trying to avert. Jennings, an engineer, had both the time and intelligence to logically deconstruct his prophecies and give himself specific tools to avert them.
* ShootOutTheLock: Subverted.

* SpottingTheThread

* WealthyEverAfter
* WithThisHerring: Subverted.
* XanatosRoulette: Jennings pulls one of these on ''himself''.

''Paycheck'' (2003) is a film adaptation of the PhilipKDick short story of the same name, starring Creator/BenAffleck, Creator/UmaThurman, PaulGiamatti, and Aaron Eckhart, and directed by Creator/JohnWoo. It was received poorly by critics, but made about $30 million more than its budget back at the box office.

''Paycheck'' (2003) is a film adaptation of the PhilipKDick short story of the same name, starring Ben Affleck, Uma Thurman, Paul Giamatti, and Aaron Eckhart, and directed by JohnWoo. It was received poorly by critics, but made about $30 million more than its budget back at the box office.

!! ''Paycheck'' contains examples of: