Summary

• Mark Wahlberg is excited about his film Play Dirty, comparing it to The Italian Job and Heat for its action and humor.
• Wahlberg's recent movies have not received great reviews, but Play Dirty, with its strong cast and writer, could be a game changer.
• With talented co-stars like LaKeith Stanfield and Tony Shalhoub, and director Shane Black's expertise, Play Dirty has high potential.

directed by Shane Black stars Wahlberg as a thief named Parker who takes on an ambitious heist, with the character being adapted from a series of novels written by Donald Westlake under the pen name Richard Stark. In addition to Wahlberg, Play Dirty's cast includes Rosa Salazar, Dermot Mulroney, LaKeith Stanfield, Tony Shalhoub, Keegan-Michael Key, and Chukwudi Iwuji.

While speaking with Collider, Wahlberg compared Play Dirty to The Italian Job and Heat. He shared his enthusiasm for being part of the heist film and said that it was a rewarding project to star in between the story, tone, and genre, along with Black's direction and writing. Wahlberg also compared Play Dirty to another iconic action film as he expressed how much he enjoyed bringing the film to life. Check out Wahlberg's comments below:

For me, it's like "The Italian Job" meets "Heat." It's got the action, it's got the high stakes, it's got the humor, it's got these great characters, the best Shane Black dialogue. I waited a long time to get a script like that. Any time we talked about, "Okay, what's the kind of movie you wanna do as an actor if we're talking a big, giant commercial movie?" And "Lethal Weapon" is always right there, and some of the other films that Shane has written, so I couldn't have been more happy. Hopefully he was as happy as I was with the experience.

Play Dirty Could Be Mark Wahlberg's Best-Received Project In Years

Most Of His Movies Have Received Rotten Tomatometer Scores Since 2020

While Wahlberg continues to bring plenty of star power to all of his projects, the actor's films have not been received well by critics in recent years. Wahlberg's most recent film, Netflix original The Union, has so far received a 44% critical score and 30% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. His only movie since 2020 to not receive a rotten Tomatometer score is Arthur the King, but only at 70%, although it fared much better with general audiences, who gave it a 97%.

If Play Dirty is on par with the films Wahlberg compares it to – The Italian Job, Heat, and Lethal Weapon – it will likely be Wahlberg's best-received film in several years. Whether it's an action heist film like The Italian Job, the highly quotable action comedy The Other Guys, or a crime thriller like The Departed, Wahlberg often does his best work as an action star. Play Dirty also has the benefit of a strong writer-director and star-studded cast surrounding Wahlberg.

Iwuji played one of the most memorable supervillains in recent years as the High Evolutionary in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3; Key's comedic talent is unparalleled; and Shalhoub is always phenomenal, regardless of the role he plays. Black has extensive experience writing and directing action comedies, and has not had a new film in several years, making Play Dirty all the more intriguing. If it is as promising as Wahlberg teases it to be, it could be his best-received film of the 2020s.

Mark Wahlberg Is Not The First Actor To Play Parker

Parker's Stories Have Been Adapted Since The 1960s

While Play Dirty will be a new take on the fictional Parker, Wahlberg is not the first actor to play the character from Stark's novels. In 2013, the action thriller film Parker was released with Jason Statham in the titular role, featuring a cast that included Jennifer Lopez, Michael Chiklis, Bobby Cannavale, and Broadway legend Patti LuPone. Parker's heist story was an adaptation of the 2000 novel Flashfire, but was poorly received, receiving a 41% critical score and 48% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Prior to 2013's Parker, there were other films based on the character and his novels, although the protagonist had a different name in those earlier projects. The 1999 film Payback starred Mel Gibson as Porter in an adaptation of the 1962 Parker novel The Hunter. Over three decades earlier, in 1967, The Hunter was first adapted in the film Point Blank, with Lee Marvin playing a protagonist named Walker who filled the role of Parker in this version of the story.

With such an extensive history behind the Parker character and his stories being adapted, it will be fascinating to see how Play Dirty is able to distinguish itself from its predecessors. One way it can do so is through the comedy that Black is often known for and that Wahlberg teases, as many of the other adaptations were more serious action thrillers. Wahlberg can make Parker feel new and refreshing in this latest and updated iteration of the longtime character.

Source: Collider