Max Payne

It's very easy for an actor to be stereotyped into a certain type of role, if not an individual character, and unfortunately it takes years to over come the situation if they can get past it at all. You don't see it much now a days but regrettably it does happen and Mark Wahlberg seems to be the latest victim of the stereotype bug. His role in this movie is the same type character that he has played in other films repeatedly, the emotional, high strung, tough willed cop who is out to do the right thing. The character of Max Payne is based on the 2001 video game of the same name which blended aspects of Norse mythology with the action of the Hong Kong cinema. But like so many things that sound good together it just didn't work out that way for the film, even with the success of the games there just wasn't enough substance to keep a movie audience interested.
Max Payne, an undercover DEA agent in New York City, unwillingly teams up with a female assassin to solve and avenge the murder of his family. With the added story aspect of Norse mythology it was interesting to watch the different characters and references throughout the film. But the way some of these characters and situations are presented only helps to confuse and disorient the story. The highlights of this film are the fight scenes, with the well choreographed action and the added slow motion effects, some of the effects are reminiscent of The Matrix, your left wanting more but your left denied every step of the way.
This film had so much potential from the very beginning, with the huge fan base of the game to the fans of Wahlberg this film should have had more legs in the theater. But the average movie going still demands more substance in the stories that they watch, and if anything is lacking their not shy about telling you. I have never played the Max Payne games but I'm sure the game makers didn't hinge every story plot they had one the first game, giving you more then enough information so you knew what was going on. Regrettably the film makers chose not to give the audience all of the story, and prayed that they'd have a hit so that they could tell the rest of the story in the sequel. So between Wahlberg playing a moody cop, an incomplete story for the film and the loss of the strong fan base its very unlikely that there will be a sequel, but you never know stranger things have come out of the Hollywood machine.