There are so many reasons to be excited for Prime Video’s Play Dirty that they’re almost too many to list. First, it’s the latest two-hander from Lethal Weapon, The Last Boyscout, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang‘s Shane Black. It’s also the latest version of author Donald E. Westlake’s popular criminal character Parker on the big screen, this time played by Mark Wahlberg.
Play Dirty stars Wahlberg as Parker, with LaKeith Stanfield as Alan Grofield, another popular character and protagonist of multiple Westlake novels. Directed by Black who co-wrote the screenplay with Charles Mondry and Anthony Bagarozzi, the story finds Parker attempting to pull off the biggest heist of his life, but having to face the New York mob and a South American dictator to do it.
Also in the cast are Rosa Salazar, Keegan-Michael Key, Chukwudi Iwuji, Nat Wolff, Thomas Jane, and Tony Shalhoub.
This is Black’s first film since The Predator in 2018. That was preceded by The Nice Guys in 2016 and Iron Man 3 in 2013. Black basically wrote the book on the buddy-action genre and the hope is that he’ll add another classic to his impressive resume.
The Parker character was last portrayed by Jason Statham in 2013’s Parker, and also by Mel Gibson in Payback. Lee Marvin, Michel Constantin, Jim Brown, Robert Duvall, and Peter Coyote also played the character in various movies.
SYNOPSIS: An expert thief rolls out the biggest heist of his life in Play Dirty, an action-packed thriller from director Shane Black. Parker (Mark Wahlberg), along with Grofield (LaKeith Stanfield), Zen (Rosa Salazar), and a skilled crew, stumble onto a score that pits them against the New York mob in this gritty, clever caper.
Play Dirty hits Prime Video on October 1st.
