- Words By | Charles E. Singletary
- Pen Name | Profex
- Twitter | @Profexxion
The Introduction…
Jason Statham features could easily become a series of cut and paste flicks in the vein of your usual action heroes, but have mostly stayed out of that realm. You know what you’re getting with the guy but somehow, for better (War) or worse (Crank 2), the movies stand out. This time, Director Taylor Hackford (The Devil’s Advocate, Ray) adapts the lead character from novels written by Donald E. Westlake.
- Genre | Action/Crime/Thriller
- Rating | R for strong violence, language, and Jennifer Lopez’s curves
The Reel Quick Review
Parker follows the main character by the same name, a professional thief with a iron clad ethical code. No children and no pointless killing are his rules as he teams up with a few guys for a new heist at a carnival. After being double-crossed, Parker is left for dead and, once he’s nursed back to health, seeks revenge. The premise is nothing groundbreaking and the writers honestly don’t take full advantage of the unique traits Parker offers. His rule set is barely touched on, and his affinity for disguises isn’t utilized fully either.
The story’s pacing is surprisingly good. The trailer sets this movie up to be a mindless action flick with Jennifer Lopez (Monster In-Law, The Backup Plan) as a chance romantic encounter for the burly action hero. She turns out to be far from that. No spoilers, but you’ll find her character’s desperation in her unique situation to be truly human and refreshing compared to your usual female leads. Michael Chiklis (No Ordinary Family, Vegas) is essentially asked to be his usual self and it serves well for the main antagonist. Nothing amazing there.
The action is thankfully on par for a Jason Statham film and it can get a bit gory at times. The fights are brutal and Parker isn’t portrayed as some untouchable super human. By films end, the man is worn out physically and mentally and has to manage accordingly. Small details like this impress.
The Quick Recap
- Great fight scenes
- A human female lead
- Failure to capitalize on unique plot points
- Solid acting
The Redefined.com Rating
3.5 out of 5
- More Movie Reviews? Click here!
- #TheRedefined | (Facebook) (Twitter) (Tumblr)
Is it as good, or better than when Mel Gibson played Parker (Porter is the name he went by in the movie) Payback? Books are supposed to be good.
I personally LOVED the Mel Gibson movie. I own it on VHS, but this one’s good too. Can’t say it’s better, in my opinion.
I Write. | (TheRedefined.com) | TakinMines.com | Twitter @K1ngEljay