A Taylor Hackford film, starring Jason Statham and Jennifer Lopez. The story revolves around Statham's character, the eponymous Parker, who's a high level thief, much sought after in the criminal underworld for his cool demeanour and ability to think on his feet. But then a job goes sideways and he's betrayed by his supposed partners in crime. He survives and vows revenge.
It's not the most complicated plot ever, but it has its basic building blocks in a neat row and knows what it's doing. A film like this is pretty much destined to the B movie pin, but there's something to be said about the charisma of Jason Statham. And J.Lo, for that matter.
What's most enjoyable about this film is its heist hijinks. Whenever Parker is smooth talking his way through red tape or conning people into doing whatever he wants, the film soars. Whenever it's doing anything else, it's pretty banal. J.Lo's character is admiringly grounded and you get her blight. But at the same time, she's perhaps too grounded for the film's style. If you catch my drift. I'd much rather see this type of character in a psychological crime drama or something like that.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed watching the film. A good film to check out if you're a fan of Statham or lighthearted heist films. And if you're not, it's still a pretty slick experience.
