In 2008, Mark Wahlberg had the opportunity to portray the vengeance-seeking Max Payne in the movie of the same name, and it was anticipated to be a significant breakthrough for the actor, or at least Wahlberg thought so. However, regrettably, despite the film’s decent commercial success at the box office, it faced severe criticism and was torn apart by critics.
Mark Wahlberg Thought Max Payne Will Be the Real Deal!
In an interview with BBC’s Top Gear, actor Mark Wahlberg explained why the project was set to be a game-changer for him. Essentially, Wahlberg portrayed a revenge-driven homicide cop seeking justice for the murder of his wife and kids. The intense wrath and fury he brought to the screen were basically elements to look out for. In short, he aimed to deliver a bona fide action movie that would captivate audiences. He said,
“This is the real deal, you know working with John he’s definitely one of the best action directors out there and he really pushed the envelope “
He also once elaborated on MTV stating,
“Max Payne is not a one-trick pony. It’s probably one of the edgier roles I’ve played but also the most layered. Here’s a very happy guy who worked a dismal job, had a beautiful family. But the beauty in his life was taken away. He just goes on a rampage. It’s all driven by emotion.”
Although Wahlberg performed his role well, the movie as a whole failed to impress the critics.
Max Payne Turned Out to Be a Disaster!
Many critics cited numerous reasons for the film’s failure, some blamed the script, others pointed to the repetitive nature of the plot, and some faulted the actors and direction. Consequently, singling out a single reason for the failure simply proved to be a challenging task. Some reviews according to IMDb said,
“While Max Payne boasts a great tone, atmosphere and great cinematography, the overall film wasn’t really all that great, the acting was tough to judge, there were some good performances but the actors seem like they didn’t have much to work with, the action scenes are minimal”
While some went pretty harsh and stated,
“At the very least I expected a dumb, entertaining action film. What I was shocked to find was a film so poorly made I am impressed that Mr. Moore actually put his name on the credits.”
The primary criticism revolved around the creators’ decision to take a slightly different route from the video game upon which the movie was based. This deviation from the source material was a point of contention among critics as well as the video game fans which led to disappointment and disconnect among those who were expecting a more faithful adaptation.
