Parker is a thief who has an unusual code. He doesn't steal from the poor and hurt innocent people. He is asked to join four other guys on a job. They pull it off flawlessly. They tell Parker that what they got can help them set up another job which will net them much more. But Parker doesn't want to join them and asks for his share. But they need it all so they try to kill him. They dispose of his body but someone finds him–he is still alive–and takes him to the hospital. After recovering he sets out to get back at the ones who tried to kill him, another one of his codes. Despite being told that they are working for a known mobster which he was not aware of, he still wants to go after them. He learns where they are and poses as a wealthy Texan looking to buy a house. So he hires a real estate agent, Leslie Rogers to show him around. He is actually trying to find out where they're holed up. And when he finds it, he sets out on his plan to get them. But when they learn he is alive, they contact the mobster to take care of him. So the mobster sends a killer to take care of him. And Leslie also finds herself intrigued with him so she follows him. A thief with a unique code of professional ethics is double-crossed by his crew and left for dead. Assuming a new disguise and forming an unlikely alliance with a woman on the inside, he looks to hijack the score of the crew's latest heist. Parker (2013) <br/><br/>** 1/2 (out of 4)<br/><br/>After being double crossed and left for dead, thief Parker (Jason Statham) goes out for revenge but along the way gets caught up with a real estate agent (Jennifer Lopez) who thinks she can help. PARKER really isn't too different from any other Statham film so if you enjoy the actor then there's probably a very good chance that you're going to enjoy this. The one big difference between this and other films from Statham is that this here actually has a pretty strong supporting cast including not only Lopez but Michael Chiklis as the main bad guy and Nick Nolte in a supporting role. Statham, as you'd expect, fits his part perfectly and he manages to play that certain type of cool that only he can. There's no question that he's still able to be believable in the role of a tough guy and he certainly makes the action scenes work. Lopez is certainly more talented than a role like this calls for but it's still rather fun seeing her. Chiklis is very good in his role as the main bad guy and it's always nice seeing Nolte. Director Taylor Hackford isn't exactly the type you'd expect to be doing a movie like this but for the most part he does a fine job. All of the action scenes are extremely well-filmed and I also think he manages to keep the picture going at a very fast paced even with its rather long 118-minute running time. The early part of the film takes place in Ohio before we move to the beaches of Florida but both locations are perfectly used and blended into the action. As you'd expect, the cinematography is extremely good and we're also treated to a nice score. The only downside is that we've seen this type of thing countless times before and this one here really doesn't offer anything new. Still, fans of Statham will want to check it out. Parker (2013): Dir: Taylor Hackford / Cast: Jason Statham, Jennifer Lopez, Michael Chiklis, Emma Booth, Nick Nolte: Routine and deplorable action film that seems to applaud the theory of robbing the rich to benefit the poor. Jason Statham has a by the numbers role called Parker who pulls a heist with four other guys. After the operation he is asked to join in another heist. Parker refuses and as a result he is faced with fending off shotgun brandishing villains that leave him for dead at the side of the road. Needless to say he doesn't die and he sets out to learn what the next heist is and get revenge. Jennifer Lopez enters as a real estate dealer who lives with her mother and is struggling with the result of divorce. Eventually the two end up hooking up and she gets involved and who gives a crap? Taylor Hackford has made good films such as Ray and Dolores Claiborne but this is Hackford at his worst. Plot is standard and structure becomes even more ridiculous as it goes until arriving to a conclusion where theft is applauded. Statham sleepwalks through familiar material while Lopez ranks this amongst her worst performances. In fact, her big scene seem to be a scene where she is required to strip in order for Statham to see whether she is wearing a wire. Michael Chiklis is wasted as a thug villain. Emma Booth plays a girlfriend to Parker who is constantly patching up his holes. Nick Nolte is wasted as the guy who sets Statham up with a group of thugs that will eventually turn on him. While the Palm Beach, Florida scenery is fetching, the rest of the film is about as fetching as a punch in the face. Score: 2 / 10 The essence of this grindingly violent movie can be summed up by what Parker says of his handgun to a terrified clerk at a check-cashing service: "It's small, but it hurts."
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