The problems these days with video game - movie adaptations is they haven't quite figured out how to do them. If the studios started treating them the way they treat comic books and novels, things would probably be a lot better off. Unfortunately, Hollywood still thinks most video game plots are a lot like Super Mario (practically nonexistant), so they make up their own plot that kinda-sorta follows the general idea of the theme of the video game. Max Payne, which could have been a promising detective/mystery turned into another shoot-em-up.
The plot generally revolves around Wahlberg's character seeking revenge on the people who killed his wife. Not that original, but they've thrown in the twist of a super-soldier drug ring that adds to the visual flare I'll talk about later. They don't really explain or show enough for you to follow the story, so if you are going to watch it, just sit back and don't think too much. The characters are pretty cardboard cut out and don't push the boundries of any of the token stereotypes you'd find in this type of flick.
And for a movie that was decently cast, it wasn't very well directed. The acting is stale coming out of actors you think would actually put forward some talent, like Beau Bridges, Kunis, or Wahlberg. The only one I thought did a convincing job was Chris O'Donnell, but his ten minutes of screentime doesn't make up for the rest of the clunky lines and poor character development.
What I did very much enjoy about this film was the visuals. Most if not all of the shots were compelling, dramatically lit, and almost captures the look of the video game. On the downside though, even the action scenes don't seem to pace well because of the long shots. For a movie clocking in at just over an hour and a half it sure felt longer...and not in the good way. It was like the director realized the script wasn't going to be enough to hold the audience's attention so he focused all his time on making visually interesting shots.
One day they will make a video game film that faithfully adapts te original content to the big screen. On that day I will be able to look back to these days as the days like the first comic book adaptation flicks came out and Hollywood thought all you needed was the same name and face and you could make a profit. Until then, though, we're all going to have to suffer through movies that butcher what could be good stories.