Payback is a 1999 American neo-noir action thriller film[3][4] written and directed by Brian Helgeland in his directorial debut, and starring Mel Gibson, Gregg Henry, Maria Bello, Lucy Liu, Deborah Kara Unger, David Paymer and James Coburn.

It is based on the novel The Hunter by Donald E. Westlake using the pseudonym Richard Stark, which had earlier been adapted into the 1967 film Point Blank.

During post-production, Helgeland was removed by Gibson and the producers, who rewrote and reshot substantial portions of the film, including a different third act and a new villain played by Kris Kristofferson.

[5] In 2006, Helgeland issued a director's cut, entitled Payback: Straight Up, that differs substantially from the version released by the studio.

Porter, a career thief and former U.S. Marine, has gunshot wounds treated by an unlicensed doctor, having been shot and betrayed for $70,000, and plans his revenge.

Lynn shot Porter and left him for dead as Val took the cash to pay off a debt to "the Outfit," a powerful organized crime syndicate.

Enlisting the help of Rosie, who is now affiliated with the Outfit, Porter ambushes Val during a session with Pearl, a Triad-connected dominatrix, and demands his money.

Taking Rosie to his secret apartment, Porter finds a bomb rigged to the telephone by Carter's men, who call him from a car outside.

Mel Gibson stated in a short interview released as a DVD extra that it "would've been ideal to shoot in black and white."

A potentially controversial scene between Porter and Lynn which arguably involves spousal abuse was excised and more plot elements were added to the third act.

[14] Roger Ebert gave the film a three out of four stars, writing in his review: "There is much cleverness and ingenuity in Payback, but Mel Gibson is the key.

The Director's Cut version features a female Bronson, that is never seen only heard over the phone voiced by Sally Kellerman, does not include the voice-over by Porter and several Bronson-related scenes, and has a different film score composed by Scott Stambler.

The film also features alternative color grading, and does not utilize the bleach bypass process present in the theatrical cut.

[7] During their scuffle (which is longer than in the theatrical version and was the main source of controversy), Porter earlier tells Lynn that his picture with Rosie was taken before they met, thereby rendering her jealousy unjustified.