"Max Payne," the movie based on the video game that looks like it has a touch of "The Punisher" and a pinch of "The Crow," chased "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" out of the top spot at the box office this weekend. The $18 million estimated weekend take could be an indication of yet another profitable film for star Mark Wahlberg.
Yeah, his last movie was the widely panned "The Happening" from writer-director M. Night Shyamalan, but that didn't stop it from making more than $163 million worldwide. The comparatively tiny $50 million budget made "The Happening" a winner for the studio who upped the coin but did nothing for the cats who had to sit in the theater.
I did see that one -- it'll take me a little while to trust M. Night again.
What "Max Payne" does for Wahlberg is keep him on the radar. And you should keep track of him since he is one of a number of actors who are taking on more challenging roles and not just the thin ones that are box office bait.
Remember Wahlberg in "The Departed?" He will also be in "The Lovely Bones" directed by Peter Jackson (LORD OF THE RINGS) based on the novel written by Alice Sebold who lived here in Long Beach for a time.
Hopefully, the actor also maintains a sense of humor about himself. Peep the sketch from Saturday Night Live below.
i suspect the storyline for Max Payne is a lot more exciting when it's happening in the form of a video game... except for those few exciting parts that i already saw in the preview, it was a snoozefest