Apologies for the lack of posting, but I'm out of town with only intermittent Internet access. However, over at Matt Zoller Seitz's blog The House Next Door, you can find my thoughts on PAYBACK: STRAIGHT UP, THE DIRECTOR'S CUT, just out today on DVD. It's based, of course, on Donald Westlake's first Richard Stark novel, THE HUNTER, and is director Brian Helgeland's original version of the 1998 film, before he was fired and a third of the film reshot for its theatrical release, at the behest of Paramount and star Mel Gibson. The DVD release feels like a different film and is essential viewing for fans of the Stark novels.
