From Super Mario Bros. to Resident Evil, the trend of adapting video games into movies has garnered something of a bad reputation.

Mark Wahlberg had the same thoughts until he read the script for Max Payne, a thriller based on the game series about a rogue cop trying to get revenge for his wife’s murder.

“I had no idea the video game existed,” Wahlberg said during a recent promotional stop in Dallas. “I read the script, and went with my instinct. I thought it was going to be a great movie and a great part. Where it originated from didn’t even matter.”

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Mark Wahlberg, left, and Christopher “Ludacris” Bridges talk with reporters Oct. 6 during an interview in front of one of three Chicago murals unveiled in conjunction with the release of Max Payne. The movie will be released Friday.

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Although Wahlberg didn’t play the Max Payne game extensively after signing on to star in the film, he said, his assistant became hooked on it. Wahlberg, who grew up on arcade classics such Pac-Man and Asteroids, prefers golf instead.

“Video games have changed quite a bit,” Wahlberg said. “This is very cinematic and has a very elaborate story. So I thought it would be OK. It would make a really cool movie and satisfy the game fans.”

The film follows Payne in his downward spiral after the brutal murder of his family, as he becomes a no-nonsense detective so obsessed with vengeance that he alienates everyone around him. In a quest for the truth, he descends into a seedy big-city underworld filled with criminals — both real and supernatural — and betrayal.

“[Director] John [Moore] and I had really the same approach to the character. I didn’t want to do the kind of brooding guy, man of few words and very one-note,” Wahlberg said. “The guy is triggered by emotion. I wanted a chance to be able to raise my voice and try to be funny at any time possible — to add some layers.”

The film also stars hip-hop star Chris “Ludacris” Bridges as James Bravura, an internal affairs agent assigned to track Payne. Bridges won the role after an audition for a part that was originally written for a 60-year-old white man.

“I usually choose a lot of diverse roles, and this is my first time playing on that side of the law. I enjoyed it,” Bridges said. “What’s important about my character is that even though I’m doing my job and I have to stay on his heels, his family was murdered and I understand that. I do want to be one step ahead of him.”

Production took place in Toronto for two months starting in late February, where the wintry conditions made a perfect match for those in the film. The script calls for plenty of snow and cold as part of its bleak setting.

Despite its reliance on dark noir-style visuals and mythical creatures, Wahlberg said the film did not require the stars to act against special effects very often. Rather, Moore (Behind Enemy Lines) added some stylish touches in the editing room, such as a version of the slow-motion bullet technology first popularized in The Matrix.

“I didn’t know the look of the film would be quite so artsy,” Wahlberg said. “It was more stylized than I had imagined. I’m just on the set trying to make all of these moments as realistic as possible.”

One of the most intense sequences in the film — one that made Wahlberg feel “silly” at the time — has Payne coming down from a drug-induced high as he is being chased by computer-generated demons.

“Visually, I had to just trust him [Moore],” Wahlberg said. “Had I not had as much experience as I had up until that point, I definitely wouldn’t have been able to do it. After working with Night [Shyamalan on The Happening] and being scared of the bushes, I felt like I could pull it off.”

Max Payne opens Friday at area theaters.

TODD JORGENSON can be reached at 940-566-6871. His e-mail address is tjorgenson@dentonrc.com.