Paycheck

A computer expert (Ben Affleck) does top-secret jobs for major corporations, and then, after a big payday, he has his memory erased for security reasons. Now he can’t remember why his last employer (Aaron Eckhart) not only didn’t pay up but also is trying to have him killed. Dean Georgaris’ script claims to be based on a story by Philip K. Dick, but it’s hard to imagine Dick ever writing anything as empty as this; the plot is the worst kind of copout (I can’t say why without “spoiling” the alleged mystery). It’s just an excuse for a series of director John Woo’s set pieces. As usual, they’re well-staged, but with nothing really at stake, who cares? Affleck is becoming today’s answer to John Forsythe: handsome, solid, dependable, hardworking—and absolutely nothing special. Uma Thurman is wasted as “the girl.”