Parker introduces Statham as a saint among thieves; literally,
he disguises himself as a priest during a robbery at the Ohio State Fair
and keeps the people caught in the fray calm, while his compatriots
dress as clowns and the cocky, inexperienced August (Micah A. Hauptman)
carelessly puts the lives of innocent people in danger. However, things
really go bad when the crew’s boss, Melander (Michael Chiklis), refuses
Parker his share during the getaway, but promises a much bigger payout
if he helps them on a new job. A fight ensues and Parker is left for
dead on the side of the road.
Once he recovers, though, he sets out to collect the due pay(back)
from Melander and his men (including Clifton Collins Jr. and Wendell
Pierce). Parker follows them to Palm Beach in Florida, discovering their
planned score involves $50-70 million worth of diamonds. There, he
meets Leslie (Jennifer Lopez), a divorcee pushing 40 who immediately
sees through Parker’s fake identity as a Texas mogul looking to buy new
real estate. Leslie agrees to keep Parker’s secret, on the condition
that she gets a share from his payback scheme (in part as compensation
for her years of enduring disrespect and being ignored by her wealthy
clients).
The elements are there for Parker to fly high as pulpy
entertainment, with Statham playing the rare male badass who’s not a
womanizer – rather, Parker’s committed to his girlfriend (Emma Booth)
and her father/his friend (Nick Nolte) – and yet, still able to get his
hands dirty in a creative fashion. Indeed, Parker finds way to hurt
people using things like toilet tank lids and gun clips in creative ways
that resonate on a deeper level of irony (and entertain anyone who’s
just looking to watch Stath bring on the hurt). That violence is
limited, but effective and responsibly bloody in execution, even when
Parker hurts himself in a cringe-inducing knife fight.
However, Hackford’s direction, while competent, leaves something to
be desired; similarly, there are some questionable editing choices along
the way that stand out as clumsy and confusing in logic (ex. flashbacks
during the middle-of-action in the opening robbery set piece).
McLaughlin’s script has no pretensions about elevating Westlake’s dime
novel tropes, but it also has limited fun playing around with them. As
indicated before, there’s recognition of the appeal these stories have
for regular people (see: a short montage where clueless rich people ogle
diamonds is a fun setup, giving extra reason to cheer the working-class
Parker and Leslie), just not enough and in limited doses. Steven
Soderbergh’s collaboration with J-Lo on Out of Sight provides a
great counter-example on how to properly treat similar material;
Hackford’s film, by comparison, is far less lively and energized on all
levels.
When all is said and done, Parker just doesn’t reach the
comfortable middle ground between satisfying action junkies looking for
exhilarating, witty thrills and satisfying viewers interested in a smart
pulpy genre exercise. Statham and his supporting cast do fine work, but
they’re weighed down by unexceptional storytelling behind the camera.
Nonetheless, it’s worth noting this is a unique Stath vehicle that has
more going on than just allowing him to showcase bravado fight
choreography – and it even plays with his eye candy status, in a scene
featuring the ‘female gaze.’
In summation: if you’re interested in standard kick ass Statham entertainment, Parker
will probably leave you bored. Everyone else, there’s an unremarkable
but (mostly) satisfactory crime tale worth checking out, especially in
comparison to what else is playing in theaters right now (though you’ll
also be fine waiting to rent it).
