Student Film  – Action Noir    /    1:37 min.    /    Black & White

Inspired by the films of Alan Baron, Robert Rodriguez, and William Friedkin, Thomas Gaunt’s student micro-short (THE PAYBACK) is a hard-boiled action noir depicting the mechanics of a violent revenge.  An unknown person is chased down a city alley and savagely beaten by two men.  Once caught, the camera assumes the POV of the victim alternating between film and video formats with each brutal blow.

Filmed in 1994 on black and white super 8mm film and VHS tape, THE PAYBACK was the first student film made by Thomas Gaunt. The film was screened in 1995 as part of a Spring student showcase while Gaunt was an undergraduate student at the School of The Art Institute of Chicago.