The Chinese director John Woo is no longer at his first attempt on American territory. Turnaround and Mission Impossible II in particular gave him access to Hollywood stars and budgets, which he once again took advantage of in La Paye, a dynamic but conventional adaptation of a novel by Philip K. Dick. Two short films about the film's universe and seven deleted or extended scenes complete the DVD presentation.

Michael Jennings is a computer engineer employed by big corporations to steal secrets from their competitors. At the end of each contract, his memory is erased. But after his mission with the billionaire Rethrick, nothing goes as planned. Jennings is not paid, the FBI pursues him and he is left with only a mysterious envelope containing 19 everyday objects.

Mystery, action, suspense, Machiavellianism, redemptive and naive love: the usual ingredients of the Woo recipe are present in La Paye. The spectacular but sometimes mannered staging serves as an envelope for a film exploiting one of the favorite themes of science fiction: the potential dangers of technological advances, in line with other adaptations of K. Dick, Total Recall or Minority Report . The plot is convoluted, thick and perfectly catchy. Uma Thurman is, as usual bright, facing a Ben Affleck who is doing quite well. Without subtlety but with a certain effectiveness, Woo makes La Paye a rather convincing futuristic thriller.