In 2008, the American noir thriller “Max Payne” was shot. Actor Mark Wahlberg played the main role, and his partner was Mila Kunis. The plot is based on the eponymous series of Finnish computer games.
Scenario summary
In the center of the plot is a New York policeman named Max Payne (actor - Mark Wahlberg). He has everything that you could wish for - prosperity, a loving wife and a small child. In an instant, his life is turned upside down when a psychopath kills his family. From that moment on, the main goal of the policeman is revenge. Hunting the killer, he finds himself in the darkest corners of New York, where he intersects with drug addicts, rapists, thieves and vandals. Some time later, he was expelled from the organs, as he was suspected of a murder that he did not commit. "Max Payne" is a film about a man who has nothing to lose. He looks at life through the prism of evil, and all that his soul craves is to avenge his loved ones.
How did the filming start?
Initially, it was planned to call the actor Clive Owen the role of the main character, since by type he looked like Max from the game. After some reflection, the directors drew attention to Mark Wahlberg, who at that time was not busy in any shootings. Having received the offer, the actor immediately rejected it, saying that his career had not yet reached the handle, so he would not be filmed in "notorious nonsense." However, after listening to the arguments of his advisers, as well as reading the script, Wahlberg literally fell in love with a character named Max Payne. The actor even began to go through this game, but did not reach the end because of the busy work schedule. He later consulted with a friend who was an expert in this Finnish development.
The film "Max Payne". Actors and roles
Acting characters in this picture are not very many. People are present in the frame, but their roles are fleeting, insignificant, since all attention is focused precisely on the main character, on his grief and thirst for revenge. However, it is impossible to lose sight of the two heroines - Mona and Natasha Saks, who in the story are sisters performed by Mila Kunis and Olga Kurylenko. The director intentionally chose Russian-speaking actresses with Slavic roots, since at the beginning of the film we see how they communicate among themselves in their native language. Also in the picture we meet the actor and hip-hop artist Ludacris as Jim Bravour. Paradoxically, an African-American young rapper here plays a white and old chef. Also in the picture, Bo Bridges is shot in the role of Hensley.
Max and Mona
At the end of the film, Mona becomes the very girl with whom Max Payne connects her life. Actor Mark Wahlberg in tandem with Mila Kunis first appeared on the screens as a couple, and, as it turned out, not the last time. Despite the gloomy atmosphere and the small number of dialogues, the directors noted that the two look good together. A few years later they will be invited to play a married couple in a comedy called "The Third Extra", a favorite film of all young people.
A bit about the atmosphere
From the first minutes of watching you involuntarily realize that “Max Payne” is an extremely gray, gloomy and depressing film. It is shot in the noir style, which is extremely rare in modern cinema. However, the atmosphere of hopelessness and the lack of thirst for life are created not only due to the color scheme, but also thanks to the storyline. The gray palette, combined with insurmountable depression, with countless gangs of marginals and the desire to return what cannot be returned, made this film unique in its genre.
sources of inspiration
Unlike the film “Resident Evil”, based on which they made the game of the same name, the situation with “Max Payne” turned out to be the opposite. The script was completely written off from the game, however, as well as some details of the surroundings. The director came up with the idea of creating a dark and black-and-white atmosphere after watching Sin City, as well as some of Quentin Tarantino’s masterpieces. Some sources indicate that the creators turned to various points from The Matrix, for example, in the film there are no blue tones. In combination with the tragic scenario, the film “Max Payne” with Mark Wahlberg became the standard of gloomy and depressing cinema. After watching it, I want to sit in silence and think about what real misfortune is.