Watching – Play Dirty (2025)

I was very excited as I read the plot description of Play Dirty, realizing that this was going to be a Parker novel adaptation. Parker was created by Richard Stark, the anti hero of several noir heist novels, adapted into movies like Payback, Point Blank, The Outfit, and Parker. The quality has varied and I’d say Play Dirty is more ‘meh’. Some enjoyable twists and action, so a middling heist streaming movie, but it’s not what I’d expect from Parker.

The opening is classic Parker, he’s the ice cold pro. His plans are efficient and they exploit weaknesses in systems and in people. He’s not one for speeches when a single word will do. He won’t shoot you until he needs to.

Director Shane Black (Kiss Kiss Bang bang, The Nice Guys (highly under rated for what it is), Lethal Weapon) ought to be a great match for this. Rumour has it the Robert Downey Jr. was initially lined up for the lead as Parker, and I could see him as the cold and calculating jungle cat in attitude, but not the brutal physicality I’d come to expect. It’s like seeing Tom Cruise as Reacher, yeah he can fight and stunt but he lacks that brooding physique. I’d like to think Mark Wahlberg could carry that, (Shooter, The Departed, The Fighter) but he cares just a little too much for Parker.

I was entertained by Play Dirty, but it’s closer to The Last Boy Scout and The Long Kiss Goodnight, more bang bang and plot reversals. It’s got a few classic heist tropes, but this movie wasn’t even based on one of the books, just featuring characters from the novels like Grofield.

I’d be happy to see Walhberg take a few more turns as Spencer for Hire but for Parker somebody more like a Jon Hamm in Baby Driver or Frank Grillo or maybe even Thomas Jane. Tough, brutal when he needs to be.

Side note – for a good heist series, you might enjoy the comic book series Thief of Thieves, featuring writers like Robert Kirkman and Andy Diggle.