Play Dirty

7/10

It won't blow you away but I would say this is a great film to watch if you want some decent action and some decent comedy.

It has some unexpected twists and turns throughout and you can't always guess what's going to happen next.

The cast is excellent and it's always nice to see Tony Shalhoub (monk) back on screen again.

If you want a decent, enjoyable action flick then I'd say you won't go amiss watching this!

There's a good movie in here somewhere. But it's a bit of a con really. As on the surface "Play dirty" is more modern streaming "content" than anything else.

I had no idea it was based on the book character Parker. A character who has already had his stories adapted multiple times. This one's an original story so I'm not sure it matters. But it could possibly be an attempt at starting a series of movies, and it feels like it is. The plot has alot of ins and outs, but got more clever toward the end. Overall though there was too much bad green screen action.

What really saves the movie is Shane Black's trademark style. There's some decent banter between the characters so its passable as a comedy. But could have been so much better if it was more focused and old fashioned. Like the books its based on.

Ultimately, Play Dirty is fine. It clocks in at a slightly bloated two hours, offering moments of mild entertainment and professional craftsmanship, but lacking the originality or emotional depth to leave a lasting impression. It's the kind of film you'll forget you saw a week later, but won't regret watching while you were in the theater. If you are desperate for a weekend diversion and all the good seats are taken, Play Dirty will, well, play. But don't expect it to redefine the genre.

If you're a fan of Mark Wahlberg (and I am), then this is a completely watchable movie that provides a couple of hours of entertainment. But it's no better than a 6. There are some clever plot twists and a good "buddy" feel of him working with his gang.

But there are two oddities that bugged me a fair amount. First was a serious "this must have been done with AI" feel to many of the big actions scenes. Car crashes, train derailments, you have it, they felt "created;" they didn't look "real". Second was the against type casting of Wahlberg, Keegan Michael Key, Tony Shaloub as not-so-likeable criminals undermined the movie for me. Shaloub just doesn't seem like a mob boss, especially not one with an Italian-sounding name.

Bottom line: if you are looking for a little entertainment, and happy with the "Ah! That's why they did that!" moments in the movie, you'll enjoy it enough to spend the time.

This was almost funny, almost exciting and almost clever. It had all the ingredients for another Nice Guys or Kiss Kiss Bang Bang but somehow it just passed by instead. I'm not going to pretend I know what went wrong, it just didn't work for me. Maybe it will for you, so good luck with that. I hope you get along.