MovieChat Forums > Paycheck (2003) Discussion > Liability (spoilers)

Liability (spoilers)

posted 15 years ago by Xuande
2 replies | jump to latest

So, they go through all this trouble to keep Jennings from knowing what he's working on or at least telling other people about it. I mean, when an NDA just isn't enough there's always brain damage right?

Jennings, however, is a genius and is paid handsomely for it. What about all these grunts with guns, on the other hand? Guns they obviously weren't trained very well in how to use. Do you think they're bringing home the big bucks? What's more likely, that a key player in your entire operation is going to spill the beans despite his 90 million dollar paycheck, or an undereducated gun toter is going to start blabbering about a very peculiar machine while drinking at a bar one night? Then multiply that by a least 50 (I didn't really count how many grunts there were) and you really start to wonder.

I realize it's a plot device, but it's kind of annoying that it basically forces you to believe that everyone working for this corporation is inherently evil and the "bad guy" and not just some Joe working a 9-5 job.

[–] maturity 15 years ago

Didn't Rethrick say that he wouldn't have had his memory erased if he had gone along with the plan? There are a lot of unanswered questions. Like if they used the machine to predict what would happen to Jennings, why weren't they able to negate all the stuff he sent to himself? Wouldn't they anticipate that he might use the machine to see into his own future and stop them?

[–] UberNoodle 14 years ago

The machine didn't work after he had set all this up, and the film showed that he could change the future. However, it does bring up paradoxes which depend on how you view 'time travel', or in this case 'time view'. How this film handled the concept isn't a mistake because you subscribe to a differing philosophy. It is worth discussing for its philosophical implications.