Matialth
Good concept, poorly executed.
ClassyWas
Excellent, smart action film.
Humaira Grant
It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
PimpinAinttEasy
I'm not a big fan of RIP TORN. I like identifiable actors who play themselves and show me a bit of myself in their performances rather than ones who are a bit too real.TORN plays Maury Dan, a real mean SOB country music singer. He is the sort of character whom podcasters like bill burr and joe rogan discuss with thinly masked reverence. He is a molester, murderer, hard drinker and does not care about anyone but himself.Cliff Emmich is his loyal driver/bodyguard who is even willing to go to jail for a murder committed by maury.Elayne Heilveil and Ahna Capri play the groupies who fight over him when he is on the road. In a really mean spirited but funny scene, TORN throws out capri out of his car for fighting with elayne. Then the car drives away, stops suddenly, reverses and torn throws out a wad of cash at Capri. Then the car drives away, only to stop again, reverse and this time torn steps out and retrieves the money from the ground and tells Capri - you didn't earn it. the scene might have inspired a similar one in THE DEER HUNTER.Apart from being a character study, PAYDAY is also a great road movie. This is a solid film with great shots of the outdoors and some powerful scenes. I really did not see the ending coming. It was quite spectacular. I suspect TORN is not too different in real life, compared to the character he played in this movie (watch his fight with Norman Mailer on Youtube).DARYL DUKE, the director, also made the fantastic THE SILENT PARTNER.
Scott LeBrun
Rip Torn is superb as county & western singer Maury Dann in this bluntly honest, unsentimental look at the life of an unrepentant reprobate. He's a self-centered hellraiser who thinks nothing of other people and only of what they can do for him. He counts on the loyalty of people such as his long suffering manager, Clarence McGinty (Michael C. Gwynne) and chauffeur / bodyguard Chicago (Cliff Emmich) in order to get him out of various scrapes. While the unknowing public celebrates his music, they often have little idea of how lowly he is as an individual. Incisively written, by Don Carpenter, and efficiently directed, by Daryl Duke, "Payday" deserves a great deal of respect for the matter of fact way it portrays characters and events. It's left up to the viewer to make any judgment calls. It also works as a too convincing portrait of life on the road for any musician, and the trappings - women, drugs, etc. - that go with it. It's essentially a character study, and the character in question is definitely unappealing, but that is what makes the material as compelling as it is. Even when Maury ends up killing a man, there is never the slightest suggestion that he will sober up and realize the consequences of his actions. Some viewers may take exception to a tale where the main character is irredeemable, but others are certain to find this rather refreshing. A mighty fine soundtrack includes four Shel Silverstein songs, including the opener "She's Only a Country Girl". The acting is exceptional from not just the charismatic Torn but all of the major players as well: Ahna Capri as Maury's fed up girlfriend Mayleen, Elayne Heilveil as naive groupie Rosamond, Jeff Morris as band member Bob Tally, and Henry O. Arnold as young aspiring c & w star Ted. Keep an eye out for future 'Dukes of Hazzard' co-star Sonny Shroyer as an attorney. Director Duke and crew create a wonderful folksy atmosphere at all times, having shot the film on location in Alabama. By the end, one may not like Maury Dann, or even understand him, but they definitely won't forget him. It's just a shame that "Payday" isn't too well known, because it can easily stand alongside more famous productions such as "Tender Mercies" and "Crazy Heart". It's a true unsung gem from a decade that produced more than its fair share of great films. 10 out of 10.
hamanncrosscreek
I saw this for the first time on "Encore" channel,ten years ago. A gritty,powerful film that days afterward,you're still thinking about.Rip Torn should at the very least been nominated for an Oscar,for his portrayal of a hard living C/W singer,Maury Dann.The film is riveting from start to shockingly abrupt finish.Touching performances from Cliff Emmich as Maurys put upon driver and Jeff Morris as one of the band members.Ahna Capri and Elayne Heilveil are terrific as the love interests.You feel Ahnas characters frustration and sadness as she's about to be replaced by a younger,prettier woman. Cara Dunn is excellent as Maurys drug addicted mother.The "road picture" structure and Alabama locations of this film give it a documentary feel and therefore it never drags or becomes tedious.The story mixes drama,humor,violence and depressing sadness,that give this film its power.This little known film is a must see!
sstack-1
I remember watching this film late night in college on the movie channel Encore some 15 years ago. It is a great flick that captures what life on the road for a country western singer must have been like. As others have noted, it could serve as a biography for Johnny Cash and many others of that era who lived a life of pills, booze, and one-night stands with a little music sprinkled in between. Rip Torn is great in this movie, though it's hard now not to picture him as Arthur from the Larry Sanders Show. The one line from Torn's character that sticks with me even today is: "You only go through this life once. You might as well do it in a Cadillac." I'd love to see this movie again but I imagine it would be a hard find.
