Phillip K. Dick must be rolling over in his grave after watching this one. This would-be sci-fi/thriller might be more aptly titled The Ben Identity, as it bears many similarities to a little movie starring Matt Damon from a couple of years back. It also has a lot in common with Total Recall - which is no surprise given that Mr. Dick wrote that one as well. That movie, however, moved like a freight train while Paycheck zips along like a tugboat.

In Paycheck, Affleck plays a scientist of sorts who loses chunks of his memory after agreeing to take part in an experiment (don't ask why, as I'm a tad confused to the answer). With only a handful of clues, he struggles to figure out what he's been doing for the last few years. This leads to a revelation that could be disastrous.

Paycheck was directed by action meistro John Woo, and while this expert craftsman has dazzled with his Hong Kong works (see Hard Boiled and The Killer) and even entertained with some of his American efforts (see Broken Arrow and Face-Off), his last picture was atrocious (I'm reffering to the dreadful Mission: Impossible 2). Truth be told, Paycheck does offer up a couple of nifty sequences including a motorcycle chase that ends in many an explosion, but none of these sequences move the story along. Like the big freeway chase in Matrix Reloaded, they're simply there to look cool. And Mr. Woo's trademark slow motion shots of doves flying into frame have become increasingly pretentious. They're no longer cool. They almost seems like they're being included as a joke.

An intriguing story is what's missing in Paycheck. Sure, it has elements of an interesting story, but they never take shape, and the big revelation in this movie comes across as more silly than anything else. I know this flick is supposed to be escapist fun but I just couldn't get into it. I was too busy laughing.

Ben Affleck doesn't do anything special here and he has yet to prove that he is capable in an action role. Daredevil was overrated, and while decent, Sum of All Fears didn't blow me away. Affleck is talented to be sure. He's terrific in movies like Chaising Amy and even looks better in Kevin Smith's upcoming Jersey Girl, but here, I just didn't buy into him. Uma Thurman is just dreadful in this part which is a shame because she's coming off an outstanding, high energy turn in Kill Bill. In her defense, the dialogue she's asked to deliver, probably couldn't be carried off any better by any other actress. Aaron Eckhart shows up in a villainous role, and his absolute absence of menace doesn't help matters. Even dependable actors like Paul Giamatti and Colm Feore can't breathe life into this mess.

As I stated, there are some interesting ideas buried somewhere in this movie. Phillip K. Dick is a terrific sci-fi writer (check out Minority Report, Bladerunner), but while watching Paycheck, you'd never guess it. Because of the way it was written and directed, it just feels like a compilation of much better movies. There are plenty of better movies playing at theaters right now (Return of the King to name one). The only bounce in this paycheck is going to be due to insufficient fun.