Yeah, I'm an undemanding movie fan. I just need a film to have stuff going on, stuff that interests me, and I'm happy. Jason Statham has been churning out action film after action film these past ten years, and I've liked most of the ones I've seen thus far, to greater or lesser degrees. PARKER, as it turns out, is one of the very best, thanks to a combination of strong writing and strong direction.
It's not a great movie and it has one major flaw, but other than that it all runs very smoothly. The plot is more complex than you'd expect from your average Statham movie, and the sun-drenched Florida locales make for a nice change of setting. The opening heist set-piece is thoroughly engaging, as are the subsequent twists and turns. The action is really well handled and sometimes blisteringly exciting, augmenting CGI and stunts very well.
So what's the problem? Around the hour mark, the narrative suddenly changes genre and this becomes a light romantic comedy. You half expect Cary Grant to show up with a twinkle in his eye. Statham takes time off from chasing the bad guys to romance an admittedly pretty Jennifer Lopez, and the pace slows right down and the storyline is forgotten. What happened? Still, half an hour later it does pick back up, rolling along merrily towards the predictable but satisfying climax.
Statham acquits himself well in a role which can hardly be said to be a stretch for him, although Lopez has one of those token love interest/slightly demeaning parts and the scene in which she's forced to strip to her underwear is more than a little offensive. Keep your eye out for an almost unrecognisably aged Nick Nolte.
It's not a great movie and it has one major flaw, but other than that it all runs very smoothly. The plot is more complex than you'd expect from your average Statham movie, and the sun-drenched Florida locales make for a nice change of setting. The opening heist set-piece is thoroughly engaging, as are the subsequent twists and turns. The action is really well handled and sometimes blisteringly exciting, augmenting CGI and stunts very well.
So what's the problem? Around the hour mark, the narrative suddenly changes genre and this becomes a light romantic comedy. You half expect Cary Grant to show up with a twinkle in his eye. Statham takes time off from chasing the bad guys to romance an admittedly pretty Jennifer Lopez, and the pace slows right down and the storyline is forgotten. What happened? Still, half an hour later it does pick back up, rolling along merrily towards the predictable but satisfying climax.
Statham acquits himself well in a role which can hardly be said to be a stretch for him, although Lopez has one of those token love interest/slightly demeaning parts and the scene in which she's forced to strip to her underwear is more than a little offensive. Keep your eye out for an almost unrecognisably aged Nick Nolte.