Film Review – Play Dirty

The character of Parker is a creation from author Donald E. Westlake, who wrote about the rogue in over two dozen books, thoroughly covering his cold ways and criminal activity. Enter co-writer/director Shane Black, who doesn’t want to mess with a literary adaptation, creating a fresh tangle of trouble for Parker instead in “Play Dirty.” Remember Black? Cineastes love the filmmaker (box office returns clearly show audience indifference), but his last offering was 2018’s “The Predator,” which was a monumental creative and financial wipeout, kicking the helmer out of the industry for seven years. “Play Dirty” finds Black playing to his die-hard fans, supplying a familiar concoction of loquacious characters, profane dialogue, dead bodies, and a twisty story involving underworld complications. The feature isn’t a return to power for the helmer, but an attempt at an easy creative layup. However, at 125 minutes, the picture’s relentless cutesiness grows old in a hurry, and Black’s ways with casting and moviemaking technology leave much to be desired. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com