Given the promo matierial, I would have expected Max Payne to be a 3D-Realms-style smart-ass crude reinterpretation of the genre, something I wouldn't be interested in. However, Salon.com's review intrigues me to no end:

Interwoven with a realistic, compelling story, a postmodernist's sense of ironic wit and, even more startling, a strong moral tone, Max Payne is the kind of shooter that most gamers have been avoiding for years. Sure, other titles have infused the first- and third-person shooter with substance. ... But if the initial sales deluge holds up, Max Payne may be the one that finally advances the genre, and our expectations for it -- and in the process, it may be the game that finally forces the industry to grow up.

I still smell cheese, but my commitment to the medium runs deep enough to take interest in anything that'd garner this kind of attention.