Payback
A wounded ex‑Marine turned thief rebuilds his arsenal and bankroll to hunt down the treacherous partner who stole his loot and left him for dead, risking a deadly clash with a powerful crime syndicate.
“Get ready to root for the bad guy.”
Synopsis
When his wife and business partner steal the proceeds from a heist and attempt to kill him, Porter is left to ponder the old adage: "With friends like these, who needs enemies?" After five months of simmering resentment, Porter turns the tables on those who betrayed him, including his former partners and the corrupt police officers pursuing him, delivering a harsh lesson in the consequences of betrayal.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 243+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Kevin StittShot by Ericson CoreScored by Chris BoardmanDesigned by Richard HooverSound by Bill W Benton Nm0072904Costumes by Ha Nguyen
Box Office
1999 · Box office
⚖️ Fell short of break-even — grossed 1.8× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$161.6M
US & Canada: $81.5M — 50% of worldwide · International: $80.1M (50%)
Opening weekend: $21.2M — 26% of its US run.
Opening week (7-day): $26.3M — 32% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 2,729 theaters
Full synopsis
Versions & cuts
- director's cut· 91 min
- Straight Up: the Director's Cut· 90 min
Also known as
- Payback - Zahltagde
- Porteren
- Payback - La rivincita di Porterit
- (Bulgarian)Разплата
Release dates around the world5 countries · showhide
- CanadaFeb 5, 1999
- United StatesFeb 5, 1999
- BelgiumFeb 17, 1999
- ItalyFeb 26, 1999
- New ZealandFeb 26, 1999
Companies
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Cast & Crew
243 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Supporting cast
55Kwame Amoaku
as Radioman
Justin Ashforth
as Michael, Bartender #1
Len Bajenski
as Fairfax Bodyguard #1
Kate Buddeke
as Counter Girl
Price Carson
as Bronson's Heavy #1
Roddy Chiong
as Chow's Thug #2
Art Cohan
as Bronson's Heavy #2
Andrew Cooper
as Whipping Boy
James Deuter
as Tailor
Doc Duhame
as Fatboy
David Dunard
as Doctor
Nathan Effron
as Johnny's Friend #1
Tom Equin
as Razor Clean #1
Brian Heinberg
as Bartender #2
Alex Henteloff
as Varrick's Manager
Jeff Imada
as Chow's Bodyguard
Michael Park Ingram
as Chow's Thug #1
Robert Kim
as Chow's Courier
Robert Kurcz
as Oakwood Arms Manager
Turk Muller
as Black Suit
Chet Nichols
as Oakwood Arms Tough #1
George O Mara
as Driver
Yasen Peyankov
as Panhandler
Ed Pfeifer
as Edward Johnson
Katrina Phillips
as Bank Teller
Freddy Rodriguez
as Punk Messenger
Michael Skewes
as Fairfax Bodyguard #2
Alex Skuby
as Oakwood Arms Tough #2
Trevor St John
as Johnny Bronson
Lee Stepp
as Bar Patron
Daniel Patrick Sullivan
as Razor Clean #2
Tedd Taskey
as Waiter
Manu Tupou
as Pawnbroker
Marc Vann
as Gray
Hugh Callaly
as Businessman
Stephen Cinabro
as Val's Goon #2
Debra L Dado
as Sneaker Lady
Pat Healy
as Outfitter Goon
Sally Kellerman
as Bronson
Johnny Lancaster
as Washroom Guy #2
Roderick Peeples
as Woorkman
Andrew Rothenberg
as Backpack Man
Christian Stolte
as Val's Goon #1
Martin Yurek
as Washroom Guy #1
Christine Artecona Cornell
as Ring Girl
Jeffrey J Ayers
Elizabeth Berridge
as Hooker in Bar
Michael Chinn
as Mr. Obvious
James Coburn
as Justin Fairfax
Joe Devito
as Bank Patron
Samantha Goldberg
as Sam-Brooks Brothers Store Clerk
Yuichi Hibi
as Gang
Dani Jayden
as School Girl
David Tweet
as Haskell
Jovanna Vitiello
as Waitress
Directors
1Writers
3Producers
2Other crew
175Franklyn M Gottbetter
additional second second assistant director: Chicago (as Franklyn Gottbetter)
Burton Sharp
adr group coordinator
Weldon Brown
adr mixer
Dawn Barkan
animal trainer (uncredited)
Frank G Urioste
apprentice editor
Harry Lu
armorer
Troy Sizemore
Art Director
Shauna L Kroen
assistant accountant
Peter Mcnulty
assistant editor: avid
David Tweet
assistant film editor (uncredited)
Briana Burke
assistant location manager (as Briana Burke-Ullman)
Kristin Dehnert
assistant location manager: Chicago
Parents Guide
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