An enduring character created by renowned novelist Donald E. Westlake, Parker has been adapted for the big screen numerous times (first back in 1966 with Made in USA, and lastly in 1999 with Mel Gibson’s Payback), and now he’s back, and the legendary criminal comes to life once again in the latest Jason Statham action movie Parker; an unoriginal, but still above average, action flick.
You’ve got to wonder how so much of the same shit can happen to the same guy, because Mel Gibson’s Porter (a slight name change from Parker, but still the same guy) got shot and left for dead by his criminal partners before vowing revenge, and here again Parker (Jason Statham, The Expendables 2) he gets shot and left for dead by his criminal partners, and vows to get revenge.
Parker gets shot after knocking over a county fair with a new crew, and angering said crew by refusing to come in on their latest jewel heist; causing crew leader Michael Chiklis (The Shield) to cut his losses, dump Parker, and plan to continue the job without him, before getting rather upset and worried when he realises Parker survived his ‘fatal’ shooting, and is coming after the entire crew (with new friend Jennifer Lopez in tow) not for his lost earnings, but vengeance.
Once again Jason Stahtam plays Jason Statham in this movie (see basically any other Jason Statham movie to see what that means), but that’s perfectly fine; here we’ve got a criminal who, despite having no problems with stealing, maiming, murdering, etc., lives his life by a certain code (he always does exactly what he says he’ll do, and expects everyone else to do the same – “We don’t steal from people who can’t afford it, and we don’t hurt people that don’t deserve it.”), and Statham’s perfectly able to play the rather stoic character but, more importantly for anyone watching, he’s brilliant in the action scenes.
Michael Chiklis is also well cast as the main villain; a rather one-note bad guy, who appears to live for nothing except pulling off heists and terrorizing those around him; as while his character seems to spend the entire film wearing black t-shirts and getting pissed off, it’s just like watching Vic Mackey’s first appearance on the big screen, though that isn’t actually a bad thing; because who doesn’t want to see Vic Mackey go toe-to-toe with Jason Statham?
In terms of the supporting stars we’ve also got appearances from Clifton Collins Jr. (The Boondock Saints), a criminally underused (and always welcome) Nick Notle (Warrior) as Parker’s friend and job-finder, and Jennifer Lopez (Money Train) also puts in an average and extremely forgettable showing as the estate agent who befriends Parker and squirls her way into earning some money off the back of his revenge plan (a performance which will likely only gain attention for the scene in which Parker makes her strip, and we see a nude J’Lo prancing around in her bra and panties).
Plot-wise Parker’s nothing we haven’t seen a dozen, or even a hundred, time before (a simple tale of man tries to kill everyone who wronged him), though that’s not why people come to a movie such as this, or any Jason Statham movie, you come for the action; and while there’s plenty of it, and the final shootout and scrap between Chiklis and Statham certainly perks the attention, it’s also fairly uninventive for the most part (even the heists seem far more at place in an ’80s B-movie).
Any Jason Statham fan is bound to enjoy Parker, and it is a good film make no mistake, the problem is that average direction, a fairly tired storyline, and largely unimpressive action mean it just hasn’t got anything to really make it stand out from the crowd of average-to-good action movie which are released on a seemingly by-weekly basis nowadays. Should Parker have been released 20 or 30 years ago, it would have been great, and undoubtedly done really well, but unfortunately there are plenty of better Jason Staham movies out there right now (take The Mechanic, or while not solely a Statham flick The Expendables’ are always good fun), and like-it or not, the narration, quirky style, and lead actor, mean that Mel Gibson’s Payback was a far better film, and did a much better job of bringing Donald E. Westlake’s Parker to the big screen.
Video:
Despite being filmed digitally (a money-saving option that unfortunately lacks the durability of traditional film) Parker comes to Blu-ray with a fantastic, and frankly film-like, presentation that’s not to be scoffed at; featuring a wide-ranging colour palette that’s impressively bold and pops right off the screen, as well as superb fine detail, natural looking flesh tones, and deep blacks. Parker suffers from no obvious or persistent technical issues, no artifacts, and only has a few instances of noteable softness alongside some minimal noise; making for a solid video transfer.
Audio:
Likewise Parker’s audio presentation (a sturdy, 5.1, DTS-HD Master Audio track) is similarly impressive, and delivers everything an action movie soundtrack should; clear dialogue, plenty of ambient noise (creating a rich and immersive feeling), and realistic sounding directionality accompanying some bombastic bass that’s sure to get any fan’s heart pumping.
Extras:
Coming to Blu-ray with a slightly dull audio commentary (despite providing a few interesting insights into the production process), a making of featurette which explores the transition from book to film as well as casting, filming on location, and the style of the movie (and is a superior choice to the commentary track), a selection of interviews, a featurette talking about the stunts and action of the film, and one focussing more on the character of Parker, Parker’s choice of bonus materials is fairly average, but should be more than enough to please its fans.
The Bottom Line:
Parker does exactly what it says on the tin, but unfortunately no more; it’s another easily missable Jason Statham movie; sure it’s got plenty of action, and The Stath, to keep you interested, but it’s unoriginal, ultimately forgettable, and a film that’s only a shade better than many of the DTV action movies released every week.
In terms of quality the Blu-ray doesn’t falter, presenting both impressive visuals and audio, and whilst the selection of extras might not be the most awe-inspiring ever, they’re more than what’s required of the film and certain to please any fan, and so the only thing holding you back from buying it at once is how big a Donald E. Westlake fan, or Jason Statham fan, you are; because if you love Jason Statham action movies, this is certainly one for the collection (yet far from The Transporter’s best), but if you after a truer representation of Parker, something closer to the vision held by the author, or simply a better, and much more dark, girtty, and gripping, crime thriller, buy Payback (the Mel Gibson movie which is a must on Blu-ray; especially due to the inclusion of the director’s cut), because Parker’s worth a watch, and one to rent, but far from a must buy.
