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Maybe a paycheck was all director John Woo and stars Ben Affleck and Uma Thurman had in mind when they made this half-hearted, inept sci-fi thriller. Even Philip K. Dick, on whose 1953 story the film is based, is just putting in time. A rehash of his familiar themes, the tale seems by the numbers — in more ways than one. A guy wakes up after a three-year hiatus — his memory of the period erased as per his contract with a sinister corporation — during which he completed some top-secret project. In lieu of an eight-figure paycheck, he gets an envelope containing random and apparently worthless items: a pack of cigarettes, a paper clip, a bus ticket, etc. At first outraged, he soon learns that the items offer a step-by-step means by which he can escape the successive dangers he faces as he tries to uncover the truth about the past and thus save his life, and perhaps save the world. It’s an intriguing concept (as are all of Dick’s, hence his popularity with filmmakers), the idea of artifacts’ serving as a link between the void of the past and the enigma of the future. Too bad the objects have more personality than Affleck’s character. As for Woo, whose career has declined since his relocation from Hong Kong to the US, his future world has a lot less pizzazz than Spielberg’s (perhaps that means it’s more realistic), and the film lacks almost any trace of his distinctive style. The tossed-in trademark touches of Mexican standoffs and a slo-mo flying dove seem desperate. This is one paycheck that bounced. (116 minutes)
BY PETER KEOUGH
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