he works of classic science fiction writer Philip K. Dick (1928-1982) have been mined for inspiration resulting in some of the most memorable movies of all time. There was, of course, 1990's Total Recall, based on Dick's short story "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale". The film starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, who recently used its title as a slogan for his successful campaign to oust Governor of California Gray Davis and have himself elected instead.

  In 2002, Hollywood icons Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise teamed up to present one of that year's blockbusters, Minority Report, based on another of Dick's short stories with the same title. Arguably his most famous legacy, however, is 1982's Blade Runner. Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, this film, based on Dick's novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, established a credible vision of dystopia that would be imitated in countless movies and books to follow.

  Perhaps one reason why Dick's stories are irresistible to the studios is that they not only have an intellectually sophisticated premise, but there is often also room for plenty of explosive action. Take another example, Paycheck. Keeping 

actors
Ben Affleck
Uma Thurman
Aaron Eckhart
Colm Feore
Paul Giamatti
Joe Morton

 director
John Woo

location
Vancouver

outtake
Matt Damon turned down the role in Paycheck since he had just finished a movie about a man with amnesia (The Bourne Identity). He suggested Affleck would be best for the part.

the title of the short story from which it's inspired, this new film stars Ben Affleck as super genius Michael Jennings, who does specialized, very expensive projects for high-tech corporations.

  The jobs he takes on are so secret that after once each one is complete, his memory is erased so as not to divulge any company secrets. Jennings was supposed to be paid $4.4 billion for his latest three-year project, but upon completion of the job, instead of a "paycheck" he is given an envelope full of apparently random knick-knacks and told that he has agreed to forfeit all other forms of payment.

  Frustrated because he has no memory with which to argue his case, Jennings begins to stumble through situations in which, one by one, the once seemingly worthless objects prove invaluable. Now, with the help of Rachel, the woman he has worked with and loved for the last three years, Jennings finds himself in a race against time to put the pieces of his past together before the people for whom he once worked have him killed.

  The premise of Dick's story � that the value of an object is relative to a given situation, and that a piece of junk in some instances may prove to be worth more than any amount of money � is admittedly stimulating intellectually. But director John Woo (Face/Off; Mission: Impossible 2), affectionately known as the Maestro of Mayhem, could never be satisfied just feeding your grey matter. He would not be the filmmaker he is unless he made the experience deliciously visceral.

  Furthermore, playing Rachel will be none other than Uma Thurman. With the overwhelming acclaim for Kill Bill, she is clearly making herself at home in the action genre.

  Citadel Press has published an anthology of Dick's work entitled Paycheck, and needless to say, the short story is included. Given Dick's prolific career, Hollywood will not be feeling a shortage of his stories any time soon.

� Rui Umezawa