Movie Reviews: "Parker"

[JamesG]

Movie Reviews: Parker


Time was when director Taylor Hackford’s name appeared above the title of a film, where it would attract as many moviegoers as the names of the stars.

His name still counts for a lot — he is, after all, the twice-elected president of the Directors Guild of America — but it does not appear above the title of his latest movie, Parker, starring Jason Statham and Jennifer Lopez.

The often-praised director of Officer and a Gentleman and Ray is taking it on the chin from some critics.





Joe Morgenstern in the Wall Street Journal speaks of Hackford’s “brute-force direction” and concludes that the movie:

“sets a tin standard for crime thrillers.”





Elizabeth Weitzman writes in the New York Daily News:

“It seems clear that Hackford wanted to knock out a quick moneymaker, something that would not require much energy, but might allow everyone to pick up a nice tan.”

(Much of it is filmed in Miami Beach)





Lou Lumenick in the New York Post does allow that Hackford:

“handles the first half tough and taut, but lets things go ridiculous and slack.”





Adam Graham in the Detroit News remarks that Hackford:

“just spins his wheels.”





A.O. Scott in the New York Times writes a kind of tongue-in-cheek review of the movie, in which he remarks that Hackford brings “honor to the first syllable of his last name.”

He explains: “I mean that as a compliment; it takes one to know one. And sometimes — especially in the epically dreary cinematic month of January — the pleasures of craft can be more satisfying than the challenges of art.”

-IMDB News

[isiahthomas]

I saw Parker last week and it's very good. Have you seen it yet JamesG? I like the scene when Jason asked Jennifer to take her clothes off so he could check her for a wire. Her body is hot. There was another scene when she asked him if he wanted to check her again for a wire and he said no. She said you can if you want to LOL. She wanted to be in a relationship with him but he was in love with Nick Nolte's daughter. I was surprised to see Nick Nolte in this. He's picked up some weight.

[JamesG]

No, but I want to. I like Statham.

I have Safe, but didn't see that either.

[isiahthomas]

I read a review about Parker in the newspaper and the critic dissed Jason saying he always plays the same characters LOL. So what. He loves doing action movies and that's the only type of films he wants to do. Nothing wrong with that. I bought Safe and i like that. I also bought his Transporter 3 movie. I remember the first time i saw Jason in Turn It Up movie with rappers Ja Rule and Pras of The Fugees. He was a bad guy in that and he beat up Ja Rule pretty bad LOL. I think that's the only time he's played a bad guy. Clifton Collins who was in Crank with Jason is in Parker. He's a bad guy. Have you seen Turn It Up JamesG?

[JamesG]

I haven't seen Turn It Up since it came out. The film's over a decade old.

I know Statham played a bad guy in Cellular.

[isiahthomas]

Oh ok. I forgot about Cellular. So what Turn It Up is old. You should check it out. But then again you might not like it because it's not a action movie. It's more drama than action. Did you see the straight to video movie he did with rapper 50 Cent and Mickey Rourke called 13? I think i asked you about this before and i think you said you saw it. When i read what it was about, i wasn't interested.

[JamesG]

What I meant by that is that I don't really remember it since it's been a while.

I enjoyed both 13's (the original and the U.S. remake).

[isiahthomas]

Who's in the original 13? Did the remake with Jason, 50 Cent, Mickey Rourke have a lot of action?

[JamesG]

Not a lot of action, but a lot of blood. I liked the underground Russian Roulette plot.

The original 13 Tzameti was a French film and the same director (Géla Babluani) remade it for the U.S.