Directed by:
Taylor HackfordScreenplay:
John J. McLaughlinCinematography:
J. Michael MuroComposer:
David BuckleyCast:
Jason Statham, Jennifer Lopez, Nick Nolte, Michael Chiklis, Clifton Collins Jr., Wendell Pierce, Micah Hauptman, Emma Booth, Sala Baker, Patti LuPone (more)Plots(1)
Parker (Jason Statham) is a professional thief who lives by a personal code of ethics: Don't steal from people who can't afford it and don't hurt people who don't deserve it. But on his latest heist, his crew double crosses him, steals his stash, and leaves him for dead. Determined to make sure they regret it, Parker tracks them to Palm Beach, playground of the rich and famous, where the crew is planning their biggest heist ever. Donning the disguise of a rich Texan, Parker takes on an unlikely partner, Leslie (Jennifer Lopez), a savvy insider, who's short on cash, but big on looks, smarts and ambition. Together, they devise a plan to hijack the score, take everyone down and get away clean. (20th Century Fox AU)
(more)Reviews (4)
Even when I can’t have it in real life, the Florida sunshine in January is a delightful thing to see in a movie. And Lopez was also fun to look at. Otherwise, Parker is an absolutely average movie with a hackneyed plot. Considering how well he handled other, significantly bigger genre challenges in the past (particularly The Devil’s Advocate), it seems that Hackford just phoned it in this time.
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This old-fashioned Stark’s detective story set in the present works quite well on the level of revenge on principle, but it starts creaking with the digression toward JLo. Statham was good as always in a familiar role, the action is solid and the beautiful Florida locations save the day.
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A film with a hopelessly unpolished image. You can see it was directed by an older gentleman who lacks a killer talent and cannot turn it into either a thrilling action film or a sunny summer ride. Jason Statham's action potential is woefully underutilized, as well as the solid bad-ass feeling of the main villains. The only assets are a few solid hand-to-hand fights, surprisingly well-directed and sufficiently bloody, and Jennifer Lopez in a perfectly coordinated outfit.
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Right from the start, there's an engaging scene where clowns and a priest rob a safe. From the beginning, the nearly two-hour runtime is a bit daunting. It's clear that the film can't keep up the pace. And it doesn’t. After the first great action sequence and a pretty intense scene, it turns into a dumb comedy with J.Lo, who bends over, shows off her impressive rear end - which we've seen countless times before (and it would have been better if she were at least naked) - and then it's just about taking someone out and doing a bit of moralizing. Jason's great, but it's not enough this time.
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