Despite my expectations of seeing a standard Jason Statham action movie, I can still safely say that "Parker" honestly entertained me. The main premise of the movie is that after being double-crossed by a gang of thieves that hired him, a man named Parker (played by action superstar Jason Statham) decides to steal the bounty of their next heist as revenge. Meanwhile, a bankrupt real estate agent (played by entertainer Jennifer Lopez) gets herself involved in Parker's plan in exchange for a share of the money.
With a premise as simple as this, I was rather surprised that I ended up enjoying the film. Don't get me wrong, it's still flawed in several ways. A lot of the characters like the gang's leader Melander (played by Michael Chiklis-famous for playing The Thing in "The Fantastic Four" movies) and Parker's girlfriend (played by Emma Booth) are underdeveloped and not given enough screen time. Moreover, Parker's girlfriend's father Hurley (played by Nick Nolte) seems to be an important character in the beginning of the film (giving Parker advice and having a substantial amount of screen time), but he disappears about a half hour into the film and is never seen again. The main character Parker also seemed a bit too strong, recovering from very serious injuries rather quickly. However, these flaws really didn't bother me as I was watching the film. Though I'm sure they would if this was an ordinary Jason Statham action movie, there was one certain element that grabbed my interest and honestly made me smile.
Without a doubt, Jennifer Lopez's character Leslie Rogers (see below) stole the show. She is first introduced as an attractive late-thirties real estate agent who just can't seem to sell a house. She also has the misfortune of being routinely hit on and "groped" by clients. This role could have been you're average Mary Sue, Lopez gives conviction and dedication to the role that honestly made me like her character. I wanted Leslie to succeed at helping Parker steal the bounty.
Her character was also quite humorous. One moment that comes to mind is a scene where she sees Parker badly injured and freaks out despite him constantly saying he's okay. Her reaction felt real and that's what made the character so likable.
In Jason Statham's case, his performance is pretty much on-par with nearly every one of his other roles, but there are a few things that made his role here superior. Since this movie is rated R, the action set pieces are much more brutal and bloody, giving Statham a chance to better showcase his talents as a stuntman and real life martial artist. Plus I just can't help but say that his witty, quick line delivery still hasn't gotten old for me. In a few scenes, his character puts on a fake southern accent while in disguise and it did show some comedic promise for Statham.
So is Parker a wonderful, groundbreaking action movie? No; the story is still pretty standard and there are a few flaws overall. Is it worth the discounted $5 ticket I bought. Of course! In fact, I would happily recommend it to hardcore Jason Statham fans as well as Jennifer Lopez fans. Overall: not half bad.
With a premise as simple as this, I was rather surprised that I ended up enjoying the film. Don't get me wrong, it's still flawed in several ways. A lot of the characters like the gang's leader Melander (played by Michael Chiklis-famous for playing The Thing in "The Fantastic Four" movies) and Parker's girlfriend (played by Emma Booth) are underdeveloped and not given enough screen time. Moreover, Parker's girlfriend's father Hurley (played by Nick Nolte) seems to be an important character in the beginning of the film (giving Parker advice and having a substantial amount of screen time), but he disappears about a half hour into the film and is never seen again. The main character Parker also seemed a bit too strong, recovering from very serious injuries rather quickly. However, these flaws really didn't bother me as I was watching the film. Though I'm sure they would if this was an ordinary Jason Statham action movie, there was one certain element that grabbed my interest and honestly made me smile.
Without a doubt, Jennifer Lopez's character Leslie Rogers (see below) stole the show. She is first introduced as an attractive late-thirties real estate agent who just can't seem to sell a house. She also has the misfortune of being routinely hit on and "groped" by clients. This role could have been you're average Mary Sue, Lopez gives conviction and dedication to the role that honestly made me like her character. I wanted Leslie to succeed at helping Parker steal the bounty.
Her character was also quite humorous. One moment that comes to mind is a scene where she sees Parker badly injured and freaks out despite him constantly saying he's okay. Her reaction felt real and that's what made the character so likable.
In Jason Statham's case, his performance is pretty much on-par with nearly every one of his other roles, but there are a few things that made his role here superior. Since this movie is rated R, the action set pieces are much more brutal and bloody, giving Statham a chance to better showcase his talents as a stuntman and real life martial artist. Plus I just can't help but say that his witty, quick line delivery still hasn't gotten old for me. In a few scenes, his character puts on a fake southern accent while in disguise and it did show some comedic promise for Statham.
So is Parker a wonderful, groundbreaking action movie? No; the story is still pretty standard and there are a few flaws overall. Is it worth the discounted $5 ticket I bought. Of course! In fact, I would happily recommend it to hardcore Jason Statham fans as well as Jennifer Lopez fans. Overall: not half bad.