Metareview - Max Payne (the movie)

We're big fans of Mark Wahlberg, despite his apparent lack of a sense of humor and his oftentimes horrible body of work. We're also big fans of Rockstar's bullet-time infused noir-fest, Max Payne. We also have a minor crush on the button cute Mila Kunis. We're also of the firm opinion that Ludacris is the greatest musician of our generation. Therefore, on paper, it would seem as though the new Max Payne flick would be the Citizen Kane of video game adaptations. On celluloid, however, the film apparently falls flat -- as these early reviews indicate.

• Peter Travers - Rolling Stone: "Max Payne is a dank, dispiriting cop flick that merely requires Wahlberg to wear a scowl that could have been painted on digitally with more expressiveness."

• Kyle Smith - New York Post: "This movie also has Blade Runner on its mind, and Raymond Chandler, but mostly it's a weak little sister to Sin City."

• James Berardinelli - ReelViews: "Maybe fans of the game will be okay with the cinematic adaptation but for those who are new to Max and his world, this isn't an impressive introduction."

• John Anderson - Newsday: "Mark Wahlberg, who has proved himself a very capable actor ("The Departed"), seems to have nominated himself for the Russell Crowe Lack of Charisma Award, and is running a pretty convincing campaign."

• Claudia Puig - USA Today: "Max Payne couldn't be more appropriately named. Sitting through this stylish-looking but derivative, vacuous and bullet-riddled movie inflicts maximum pain."