MOVIE REVIEW: Parker (2013)

This review will contain spoilers. Please read at your own risk.

So…this review might be biased because I personally adore Jason Statham and his movies. There’s something about this man and his acting that fascinates me and makes me adore just about every movie he’s in. His action movies are always jam-packed and I heard a rumor that he might do his own stunts, which I think is awesome.

Okay, enough fangirling. Let’s get onto the review:

Parker (2013) is about a man named Parker who works with a group of men that his girlfriend’s father knows and they go on a mission, essentially, where they steal money. Their plan is to split up the money amongst them and then move on. However, the other men want to work one more job so they can make more money. Parker does not want to, saying that wasn’t the plan, and they try to convince him otherwise. When he doesn’t budge, they betray him by killing him so he’s out of the way and there’s more money for them. Except they didn’t kill him, and he’s out for revenge.

The plot of this movie is, admittedly, simplistic. However, I think the simplicity of this plot is what makes it so good; personally, I think if the plot were too complicated, it would have taken away from this movie.

Parker has clear motives — to go after those who tried to kill him, and to get the money he earned from the first job. He wants what he rightfully deserves, and anyone in his position would feel the same way. I know I would want the money I earned, whether from a robbery or not.

The acting in this movie was absolutely amazing. There are no complaints about the acting, only praise. Jason Statham, per usual, is fantastic in his role; it fits him perfectly. Statham is able to manipulate his character depending on the situation, and he does it with ease; he also does it in a way that is believable. During the parts of the movie where he goes to Palm Beach, he disguises his voice when speaking to the woman (I believe she’s a realtor), as well as the way he behaves. While Parker is still his authentic self, he changes ever-so-slightly to fit the norms of Palm Beach. The way Parker does this is believable, and sometimes, made me forget that this was an act (or a front) he was putting on for the realtor so she would not know his true identity and would not get involved in the situation he was in; he didn’t want innocent people involved.

The way things played out in Palm Beach was well-written, too. When Parker gets there, he is looking for a specific house in which the men that stole from him and tried to kill him may be residing, and that is why he contacts the realtor. She is flirty with him, which is to be expected considering just how damn attractive Jason Statham is. I mean, seriously — dude is gorgeous. I laughed out loud at one scene where the realtor gives Parker a ride, and he gets out and tells her that he’ll take a taxi the rest of the way, and she stares at his booty as he walks away. This scene, even if inappropriate, not only helped the viewer to connect with the realtor’s character a little more, but it also had amazing character development for both characters. I adored it.

The relationship between Parker and the realtor was amazing. The realtor is flirty with Parker, and although he is not interested due to already having a loving girlfriend, he is polite and friendly towards her in response. In fact, it seems like they are friends — or, they become friends, anyway. Their dynamic is interesting anyway, and I appreciate the fact that this movie didn’t run down the romance hole like most movies do. Instead, they are just friends, never going further than that despite the realtor’s moves to get him to do more. I thought this was nice because, after a while, it gets annoying when the two main characters just so happen to “fall in love” simply because they’re around each other; this is an action movie, not a romance, so let’s not put all of the focus on the romance and more on the action people came here for. Fortunately, Parker delivers this — while it has the juicy romance some look for, it does not put all of its focus and energy on that, but rather about friendships and action.

I love the dynamic among the villains, as well. There is a comedic aspect to their friendship, one that left me giggling whenever they popped up on the screen. Sure, they are serious people and throw one another around when they’re angry about something, but they are entertaining in general. Their dynamic and friendship is one that I truly enjoyed seeing. A part of me actually rooted for them despite knowing they are the villains of the movie and that what they are doing is wrong.

I will say, I thought the realtor involving herself was infuriating. I respect that this is part of the movie and enjoyed the entire movie regardless, but I thought she was trying way too hard to get Parker’s attention when he made it more than clear that he was not interested in her like that. She should not have gotten so involved. I also thought she was being a little stupid when she looked directly at Parker when she was kidnapped by the villains. Like, don’t sit there and stare at him or they’re gonna know he’s there and he won’t be able to help you! I’ve watched enough movies (action, horror, etc) to know better than to do that. Girl, watch some more movies so you can learn, too! Damn.

Overall, I loved this movie so much. I thought this movie was absolutely amazing and would definitely recommend watching if you like action movies, but also if you’re a fan of Jason Statham (or simply like his movies). I would give this movie 5 out of 5 stars. Cannot recommend enough — I love it.