18 Years Later, Mark Wahlberg’s Forgotten Video Game Thriller Hits Free Streaming on April 1

Video game movies have a much better reputation now than they did back in 2008, which makes Max Payne an interesting one to revisit. It landed in a much harsher era for game adaptations, and the reaction was rough, but it still has a certain cold, stylized mood that makes it more watchable than its reputation suggests. Tubi will add it for free on April 1.

The film stars Mark Wahlberg as Max Payne, a detective haunted by the murder of his wife and child who gets pulled into a conspiracy involving drugs, hallucinations, and a lot of violence. It leans hard into noir atmosphere, snowy cityscapes, and comic-book-style imagery, which at least gives it a look of its own even when the story does not always fully come together. The cast includes Wahlberg as Max Payne, Mila Kunis as Mona Sax, Beau Bridges as B.B. Hensley, Chris O’Donnell as Jason Colvin, and Ludacris as Jim Bravura.

Is ‘Max Payne’ Worth Watching?

Collider’s review stated that Max Payne is exactly what you’d expect from its ingredients — a short runtime, a video game adaptation, and a director more interested in style than story — resulting in a lifeless, frustrating action film that barely functions as entertainment. Wahlberg drifts through the film with little energy, while the supporting cast — including Kunis and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges — are given very little to work with. Even when the film tries to raise the stakes, it’s hard to care about what’s happening or who it’s happening to. Ironically, Collider’s review highlighted that Max Payne becomes more entertaining the worse it gets. As the film leans harder into ridiculous action — complete with excessive slow motion and bizarre logic — it crosses into unintentionally funny territory.

“Throw Max Payne in the horrible video game movie pile (I say this as if there’s a good or even passable videogame movie pile) and put it near the top. I’m not sure what attracted anyone to this project but if there was ever anything redeeming in Max Payne it was clearly excised. In its place is a film that muddles around in uninteresting noir before becoming a balls-to-the-wall action flick that just gets funnier and funnier.”

Max Payne will stream for free from April 1 on Tubi.