Porter is shot by his wife and best friend and is left to die. When he survives he plots revenge.In 2006 Helgeland’s darker original version was eventually released on DVD as Payback: Straight Up – The Director’s Cut, which also deviates quite a lot from the original novel but is much closer to its nihilistic tone. The last 30 minutes is a completely new showdown between Porter and the Outfit’s henchmen at a subway station that is much closer to the finale of the original novel (and it’s almost certainly fatal intent). This tougher, less romantic, film is also much shorter and works infinitely better on its own terms and as an adaptation.
