Title – Parker (2013)

Director – Taylor Hackford (The Devil’s Advocate)

Cast – Jason Statham, Jennifer Lopez, Nick Nolte, Michael Chiklis, Wendell Pierce, Emma Booth, Clifton Collins Jr, Bobby Cannavale

Plot – Betrayed by a crew of criminals and left for dead after a successful robbery of the Ohio State Fair, Parker (Statham) sets out to get revenge on those who wronged him. Along the way in his journey to right the wrongs against him Parker will come across girlfriend Claire (Booth), sassy real estate agent and potential partner Leslie (Lopez) and old friend Hurley (Nolte).

“I don’t steal from anyone who can’t afford it, and I don’t hurt anyone who doesn’t deserve it.”

Review by Eddie on 19/08/2013

For an action movie Parker is light on for kills and for a thriller light on for thrills. It’s no wonder Parker came and disappeared from the big screen world upon release early this year for what we have here as a finished product is a very long in the tooth Jason Statham movie that just can’t justify its existence with any real notable elements.

Parker is just one of many adaptations of Donald E. Westlake’s famous crime books and from early reports and footage seemed to be the perfect moulding of literary character with real life actor in Statham. On viewing the film Statham does nothing to add to any of his other countless on screen incarnations thus leaving Parker nothing more than a dull wise cracking tough guy whose sole purpose in the movie is not to smile. Parker not only waste’s this obviously ripe character but also a swag of other elements.

Director Taylor Hackford is far from a (pardon my pun) hack with such films as Ray and Blood In Blood Out on his CV it’s hard to see why he took this job on board especially when there is no real flair or evidence of trying from his behalf. The other major waste by the film is in its supporting cast. Jennifer Lopez as the token girl presence may as well not of showed up while this following extensive list should of stayed home. We have The Shields Michael Chiklis, The Wires great man Bunk in the form of Wendell Pierce, fabulous character actor’s Clifton Collin’s Jr and Bobby Cannavale, Australian Emma Booth and most sadly Nick Nolte (who can’t capture that Warrior form again) all being relegated to very average rolls.

Parker is neither a rollicking action film, a thrilling thriller or an edge of your seat revenge/heist movie. At 118 minutes what Parker is is a lesson in patience, as you sit and wait for the movie to do something, anything it’s unquestionable that time will go by very slowly. It’s a very sad thing when the highlight of a film is hearing Statham attempt a Texan accent and a sad thing that this material was wasted in such a fashion.

1 and a half wasted actors out of 5