There have been at least a handful of cinematic versions of the comic crime novels of Donald E. Westlake (writing as Richard Stark). All of the previous versions, I believe, have changed the name of the protagonist Parker, until this one. Whether Jason Statham fits the physical description or character traits of Parker as written is something I cannot judge, as I have not read any of the books. But the film Parker, as directed by Taylor Hackford, should be judged on its own merits, and it is in my humble opinion fairly solid, but not superlative.
Like most (or all?) of the Stark stories, this one involves a heist, and then greed, betrayal and retribution enacted by the criminals who plan and execute the original heist. Parker (Statham) is double-crossed by Melander (Michael Chiklis) and three other hoods after a spectacular robbery. Parker survives, tracks them to Florida and then plans his revenge. At this point a gorgeous but unsuccessful real estate agent (Jennifer Lopez) becomes involved, who both helps and hinders Parker’s plans. But at last, after another spectacular robbery, Parker gets his retribution.
The movie slows down when Lopez enters the picture, and too much time is wasted on her character and situation. And for a smart character — she learns a great deal about Parker on her own — she is incredibly stupid at the climax. The movie is far more effective showing how disguised criminals with intelligent planning, a lot of patience and incredible chutzpah can get rich quickly. And the script is smart about people — how they behave under great stress, how little signs can be interpreted, how acts of kindness are often repaid — which makes this more valuable than just some clever heist movie.
It is violent, but not unnecessarily or gratuitously so. Parker makes good use of its locations, and it is adroitly edited. There are some terrific fights, and the stuntwork is first-rate. All in all it’s a pretty good film, although I think the Jennifer Lopez emphasis was a mistake. Perhaps casting someone like Madeleine Stowe would have been smarter and less distracting, and perhaps someone a little less heroic than Jason Statham would have better served the character of Parker. We expect Jason Statham to pulverize his opponents and never doubt that revenge will be his; maybe if someone less known like John Hawkes or Dominic Cooper or Michael Shannon or Sam Rockwell were cast the film might be less testosterone-driven and therefore more effective. Or maybe not. ☆ ☆ 1/2. 5 February 2013.