Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century FoxVideo game-based “Max Payne” follows the story of a detective on the hunt for the truth behind his family’s murder.
After the failure of recent video-game-to-big-screen movies like “Hitman,” you would think Hollywood would get the idea already: these movies stink. Unfortunately, John Moore directs the disappointing, less then fulfilling action flick, “Max Payne.” The writers and producers of the film spent too much time trying to construct a storyline for the all-action video game, and in doing so they took away the reason fans flocked to the film.

The film starts off with an introduction of Max Payne, a keep-to-himself, never-party type of guy. The audience follows Payne as he looks for answers about the death of his wife and infant daughter three years before. In the process of his search, he manages to take the lives of an acquaintance and an old friend. As the cops begin investigating Payne, he turns to an old friend who is now a member of the Aesir Corporation.

As the story unravels Max begins to make connections between his family’s death and a drug-induced group, whose members are being torn apart by their own minds.

“Max Payne” stays true to the storyline of the first title of the video game series. The movie version makes several changes but keeps the drug “Valkyr” in both storylines along with the cause of death of Payne’s family. The storyline changes in significant factors but does not take away from the ending, which is also changed but kept to its roots.

Wahlberg’s performance is nothing compared to his past roles. The character is very quiet and not as crazy as might be expected. Mila Kunis brings the sexual ferociousness that is needed for her character Mona Sax, but she does not fit the gun-slinging role.

The rest of the film is filled with low-name actors and actresses who do nothing to enhance the creativity or much-needed action in the film.

The “PG-13” rating does not fit this film. The producers should have boosted the rating to and “R” and added the violence and shoot-’em-up scenes that are needed to keep the fans interested.

Jay Homan can be reached at [email protected].