PAYBACK is misnamed. It should be called "Bloodbath." Every character in the film gets maimed, killed, or if they are really lucky, just slapped around a little. Most get blown to bits in this film that seems to set its sights on out-Ramboing Rambo.

The hero of "Payback" is Porter, played by Mel Gibson. But Porter is a strange kind of hero, since he is a small time crook, and Mel is sadly miscast in a role that begs to played by Bruce Willis. From the outset Mel is all wrong. We first meet Porter in voice-over, wherein he explains that someone took 70 grand from him, and he's gonna get it back. Mel drops his voice about an octave in the voices-overs. I guess the plan is to capture a dark pseudo-noir, pseudo-detective story atmosphere, but it doesn't work. It just sounds funny, and made me reach for a throat lozenge.

And from a somewhat comic beginning, the film leaps head long into an absurdity that is funny, disturbing, and surprisingly entertaining. The film is a strange mixture of extreme violence and ridiculous humor, highlighted by a soundtrack that often punctuates the onscreen action with an amusing, if glib, popular song.

But if Mel Gibson is miscast, he's certainly easy on the eyes, and makes the overall product generally entertaining. Plus, with good support from James Coburn and Kris Kristopherson as the top-notch gangsters, the film turns enough corners to ensure the audience stays interested. Even the story is unbelievable from the first shot to the last.

Perhaps the women in this movie might be employed to pinpoint the strange duality of the film. Mario Bello, best known for her tv roll on ER, plays the tried and true hooker with a heart of gold part that drips with schmaltz. But Lucy Alexis Liu, also better known for her small screen work, is cut loose in a far less traditional role. She plays Pearl, a gangster moll with a twist.

In short, I find this film a tough one to call. The violence is way too intense to appeal to all audiences, and I dislike movies that employ cartoon-like violence to entertain. It's uncomfortable to realize that seeing people being blown to bits making me laugh out loud. Yet "Payback" is little nothing but violence, and still I found myself oddly entertained.