Parker (2013)

Parker: Directed by Taylor Hackford. With Jason Statham, Jennifer Lopez, Michael Chiklis, Wendell Pierce. 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.

“As a fan of Donald Westlakeu0026#39;s writing — he did the Parker books under the pseudonym of Richard Stark — I have long been bemused by the inability of film makers to adapt his work for the screen. Westlake wrote for the screen himself, and the Parker books are nothing but action and plot. Yes, thereu0026#39;s character, but you figure it out from what Parker and his associates do.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWith this, the fourth attempt to film a Parker novel, the film makers have found a practical if surprising choice for the title role. Jason Statham is not an actor of great oratorical powers, but he is a great physical actor, and he moves constantly like an angry tiger in a cage. The choice of a caper which is set largely in Palm Beach, with its artificial, pointless display of wealth and no other reason for existence is the perfect backdrop for the ferocity of Parker in his battle with Michael Chiklisu0026#39; Melander; Jennifer Lopezu0026#39; clueless Leslie, who gets caught up without understanding what is going on, gives the audience a good point of view.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDirector Taylor Hackford is not a great director, but he is a highly competent one. Sixty years ago he would have been a major director for a studio, setting and working in the house style. Give him a story he can work with and he will hit all the notes, efficiently and effectively, and he has done so here. If the Parker of this movie is different from the Parker of the books, a bit more philosophical (although it comes down, in the end, to the tigerish u0026quot;Do what I tell you and I will devour you lastu0026quot;) we need to remember that a movie is not a book. This is not Donald Westlakeu0026#39;s Parker, nor even the Parker I see when I read the books. However, itu0026#39;s still a very good one and worth your attention.”