Play Dirty: Shane Black’s Heist Has Action but Little Bite

Shane Black directing Mark Wahlberg in a film based on Donald E. Westlake’s Parker novels sounds like a promising recipe for tough, dryly funny crime entertainment. Play Dirty supplies some enjoyable action, but the combination rarely catches fire. Parker’s betrayal, revenge and newly assembled team become tangled in more schemes than the film can handle convincingly.

Wahlberg is more effective in gunfights, chases and physical confrontations than in the quieter scenes that should give Parker weight. The performance shifts between cold professional, morally uncertain loner and cynical commentator without creating a particularly distinctive person. A rough voice and a fixed stare cannot do all the character work.

LaKeith Stanfield’s Grofield brings welcome unpredictability, and Rosa Salazar’s Zen has charisma and wit. They are livelier company, but the film gives them too little time to develop a team dynamic. Instead, intelligence connections, corrupt businessmen and missing wealth keep accumulating. More plot does not automatically mean more tension.

Individual set pieces work: a train sequence, a nighttime raid and an improvised escape have pace and clear craftsmanship. Black’s dry humour occasionally surfaces too. The trouble is the inconsistent tone, which moves between gritty crime, seriousness and broad heist comedy without making any of them its own.

The varied locations and polished action give it an attractive surface. Betrayals and attempted emotional shocks, however, have surprisingly little impact. I kept wishing for fewer detours, stronger characters and consequences that actually lingered.

I give Play Dirty 5.5 out of 10 points. It can fill an easy evening, but the memorable Shane Black mixture of personality, sharpness and humour remains well out of reach. There are highlights here; there is not much aftertaste.