Shane Black is one of the best action directors around, helming such modern genre classics as Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Nice Guys. His latest effort, Play Dirty, is an adaptation of several Donald E. Westlake novels and casts Mark Wahlberg as the professional bank robber Parker. When Parker and his friend Philly (Thomas Jane) rob a racetrack count room, they seem to be set for life — until their getaway driver, Zen (Rosa Salazar), betrays them, shoots Philly dead and dumps Parker in a river.
Down but not six feet under, Parker vows revenge, but even he might not be able to kill Zen, especially when he finds out she’s linked to a powerful foreign dictator who oversees a massive crime syndicate. Can Parker stay alive long enough to play dirty, avenge Philly and retrieve the money that was stolen from him?
Even though it’s a streaming-only release, Play Dirty plays like Black’s earlier cinematic triumphs. While not as humorous as The Nice Guys, it has the same hard-boiled sensibility and no-nonsense direction that made that film so enjoyable — and memorable. Wahlberg makes for an adequate Parker, although you wish for an actor with more grit and gravity, like Tom Hardy, to play the part instead.
