Paycheck by Philip K. Dick

Another terrible PKD adaptation.

Paycheck by Philip K. Dick starts off with a ton of promise and then, unfortunately, drives itself straight into a brick wall at 100km/hr. As a sci-fi mystery thriller with time-travel elements, the opening is genuinely gripping. There’s intrigue, suspense, and that classic Philip K. Dick sense that something very strange and very clever is unfolding. For a while there, I was completely hooked.

Then the momentum collapses. Hard. What begins as a tight, fascinating setup gradually unravels into something convoluted, silly, and increasingly absurd. This feels like a textbook example of Philip K. Dick at his most frustrating: bursting with bold, imaginative ideas, but struggling to shape them into a fully cohesive, satisfying story. 

It makes me wonder what might have been salvaged with a firmer editorial hand. The story desperately needed a tighter focus. Cutting the word count by at least half and ditching the pointless plot detours would have gone a long way. Instead, it drags on far longer than it needs to, turning what should have been a brisk, punchy sci-fi tale into a bit of a slog.

The premise itself is great though. A mechanical engineer named Jennings has his memory wiped for the last two years of his life after finishing a secret job for his employer, a construction company. Rather than walking away with a hefty payout, he’s handed a small envelope filled with random junk. At first, it seems like a slap in the face. However, once the police show up and he miraculously escapes using one of those worthless items, it becomes clear that someone (possibly future-Jennings) knew exactly what was coming and planned accordingly. That’s a great hook.

From there, Jennings is on the run, trying to uncover what special project he worked on and why his past self set this elaborate breadcrumb trail. Again, there is so much potential for a great story here. Unfortunately, it spirals into confusion, plot holes, and increasingly goofy twists. There’s also some rushed, half-baked social commentary about capitalism and revolution that feels tacked on rather than meaningful, adding more noise instead of depth. Paycheck is a reminder of why Philip K. Dick is such a fascinating but wildly uneven writer. His ideas are endlessly compelling, but the execution often can’t keep up. 

Such a disappointment.