Payback - The Hybrid Cut

Have always loved this movie in it;s original release....and when I learned about the controversy and saw the Straight Up cut...I was torn in a few ways....

Theatrical Cut - I loved the washed out coloring. Also, after watching the Straight Up cut, and provided the other version with it's plot and ending....I decided I preferred the sub plot with the MALE BOSS and it;s storyline and ending.

Straight Up Cut - enjoyed the extended scenes shown and hoped they could added to a fanedit of the Theatrical Cut. As for the sub plot with the FEMALE BOSS, I was not as interested , EXCEPT for the scenes before and during the SUBWAY....I think only because I wanted to see those added to the theatrical cut.

SO - for Neglify's Hybrid Cut - I was impressed this edit focused on providing the extended scenes in a matching color format. Awesome work!
As for the MALE vs FEMALE subplot and ending...I now understood how CHOOSING one or the other required certain footage adjustments. In this cut, I see the MALE BOSS version was chosen...and it utilized the subway ending INSTEAD of the HOTEL ROOM ending....so these are my observations:
Using the MALE BOSS storyline requires the son subplot and shows the ending in the HOTEL ROOM with the bomb.
Using the FEMALE BOSS storyline requires the subway sequences....
and so this is the conflict I have....
The MALE BOSS version also has the torture scenes with the hammer....and has ending with the hotel room bomb - So I think that ending should have been used...
I get it - You wanted to use the MALE BOSS and SUBWAY ending....and I believe you did a great job in combining them.
However, would have been possible to show the subway scenes and let Porter survive enough to play play out the ending with the MALE BOSS in the hotel room with the bomb?
Just curious - but OVERALL, this edit was awesome!

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Cracking good edit, turning Payback into gritty Noir from the 40s.
Audio work, great. Nothing sounded out of place or jumps around with gain issues.
Video work, also solid. Lot of transitions to Black n White end up losing sharpness, or the blacks pixilate. Not here. Black n White is a pain in the ass to replicate, but Neglify scores big here.

This edit utilizes material from the original Payback, as well as the Straight Up cut.
The ending hews toward Straight Up - which I really do not like.
Writer / director Helgeland seems to have his own conception of Parker, excuse me, Porter, and he knows jackshit about Don Westlake's actual creation.
Anyway, the ending pissed me off, mostly at Helgeland.

As an overall work, though, this edit was terrific and warmly applauded.

Original review: February 11 2012

This movie just oozes cool.

From the first scene, you will forget you are watching a fanedit, and will be able to just sit back and enjoy a kick ass, perfectly edited grungy black and white Noir edition of Payback.

Neglify has edited this film with great care and skill. His cuts are invisible, with the exception of the bold color change, which adds depth to the story and sets the mood perfectly from the opening scene.

The picture quality was excellent for DVD (I watched the DL version), and the audio was nicely balanced throughout. A couple of scenes seemed very slightly out of sync, but this may have been my tv playing tricks on me.

The extras are a nice bonus (looking forward to trying the drinking game), and the menus are simple and elegant in their design and function.

Congrats Neg, you done good sir.

A thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended edit.

I watched this edit a while ago, so I’m a bit late on the review.

The black and white works great for this movie. It just fits with the neo-noir feel of the movie.

The voice over removal between the Theatrical Cut and Director’s Cut I’m…indifferent. On the one hand noir often has voice over. And like ssj said in his review, Gibson’s voice over is nowhere near as bad as Ford’s awful voice over in Blade Runner. So I guess I could take it or leave it. I certainly didn’t miss the voice over while watching.

The ending was the only thing I didn’t like. Before I downloaded this edit I asked Neglify which version I should buy. He told me Director’s and I of course inadvertently buy the Theatrical Cut. So I was used to the theatrical ending. And didn’t realize the Director’s cut was so different. So that’s just my personal opinion but I liked the theatrical ending better than the DC.

As far as editing goes. I noticed no problems with the audio or video. The special featurette on the editing of a specific scene was really cool. I wish more edits had this kind of feature. I guess it can potentially takes away some of the “magic” of an edit but its always interesting to see the work that goes into cutting particular scenes and the changes made etc. So props to Neg, cause there is some excellent editing work in that scene.