3DR "bewildered" by Max Payne film

Scott Miller, producer of the Max Payne videogame, has voiced first his bewilderment at the movie adaptation starring Mark Wahlberg, and then, er, his pride in it.

"There are several fundamental story flaws ... in the film that have me shaking my head in bewilderment," Miller had originally told Edge, echoing venomous reviews from critics.

His confusion surrounded the clumsy recreation of the story, which involves Max Payne seeking revenge on a drug syndicate that murdered his family.

Miller said not only was this motivation buried for half of the film, but other characters were also misrepresented. And he could "go on and on" about his problems with it in general.

So it was surprising to hear him issue an about-turn: "To be clear, I'm proud of this film," he said a bit later, reasoning that in film-land, the amount of people involved often leads to misinterpreted IP.

"Clearly, doing a game-to-film is not easy. And in Max Payne's case, it's a miracle it ever reached the big screen," explained Miller.

"A book could be written on the winding hazard-filled path this project took, through different studios, scripts, and even lawsuits.

"Not to mention Rockstar Games [which], after they bought the IP, made serious attempts, including legal, to try to prevent this movie from being made, and were non-cooperative in providing materials that would help with pre-production," he added.

He was also quite surprised by the USD 18 million the film took during its opening weekend in the US, topping the box office ahead of meaty competition from legendary director Oliver Stone.

"This kind of opening brings us a lot closer to the reality of a sequel," said Miller.

Max Payne opens across UK cinemas on 14th November.