This is the latest adaptation of the Parker novel series by Donald E Westlake, a natural fit for someone of Black’s sensibilities. Somewhat like Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, Parker is a coldly efficient tough-guy character who has spawned many books but enjoyed mixed results on the screen; unlike Reacher, Parker is a prolific professional robber and all-round scoundrel. “I stole something and I got away with it,” is all the backstory we get on this guy in the film, and there’s something refreshing about how uncomplicated and to-the-point the character is, living by a simple if occasionally murderous code.
As Parker, Mark Wahlberg plays him with matching efficiency and a kind of grumpy impatience, getting the job done while never quite finding the charm or charisma of previous Shane Black leading men (Robert Downey Jr, a producer here, was previously tapped to star). We first meet Parker in the midst of a medium-stakes robbery; when he is betrayed, our anti-hero sets out for revenge — and a much bigger take. So begins an elaborate and messy heist involving a priceless statue that also, somehow, involves regime change in a South American country.
Movie review
Title – Play Dirty
Director – Shane Black
Cast – Mark Wahlberg, LaKeith Stanfield, Rosa Salazar, Keegan-Michael Key Chukwudi Iwuji, Nat Wolff
Based on – The Parker Series by Richard Stark
