THE STORY – A ruthless thief and his expert crew stumble onto the heist of a lifetime.
THE CAST – Mark Wahlberg, LaKeith Stanfield, Rosa Salazar, Keegan-Michael Key, Chukwudi Iwuji, Nat Wolff, Thomas Jane & Tony Shalhoub
THE TEAM – Shane Black (Director/Writer) Charles Mondry & Anthony Bagarozzi (Writers)
THE RUNNING TIME – 125 Minutes
Remember Shane Black’s “The Nice Guys?” Many of us, including myself, are still living in 2016, when Black delivered his sharpest and funniest film since “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.” His razor-edged sense of humor clicked perfectly with Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe, whose unmatched chemistry turned that movie into one of the most underrated studio comedies in recent memory. It is the kind of film that should have launched a series of sequels, but instead Hollywood looked the other way. Black drifted through the studio system after the misfire of “The Predator,” a project that always felt misaligned with his sensibilities, even if he had dabbled in franchise IP before. Now, seven years later, he is back with a new feature starring two Academy Award nominees, Mark Wahlberg and LaKeith Stanfield, on one of the biggest streaming platforms. Yet it is generating little buzz, and the unfortunate reason is because “Play Dirty” simply is not very good.
The warning signs arrive early. The opening set piece begins promisingly, rooted in the character’s world, but quickly balloons into an overblown spectacle. Wahlberg, playing the seasoned thief Parker, orchestrates a heist at a racetrack against a powerful criminal organization. Naturally, things do not go as planned. As Parker and his crew shoot their way out, they are met with a barrage of bullets and CGI racehorses ricocheting off cars like something out of a video game. Parker somehow survives, only to be betrayed by his teammate Zen (Roza Salazar), who guns down his friends and leaves him for dead. True to Donald E. Westlake’s pulpy setups, Parker claws his way back, reluctantly partnering with Zen for one more job, a high-stakes heist that promises not only billions but also the chance to topple the corrupt dictator De La Paz in her home country.
But even with Black behind the camera, Wahlberg turns in one of his most uninspired performances. Whatever rugged magnetism Westlake’s character might possess is drained away, replaced by a flat, uncharismatic screen presence. Wahlberg’s default action-hero mode makes Parker feel less like a clever antihero and more like a stiff placeholder. His chemistry with the rest of the cast is nonexistent, and his delivery blunts most of Black’s comedic edge. The supporting players fare only marginally better. Stanfield at least injects some spark as Grofield, a part-time thief and wannabe actor. Still, he is fighting uphill against a script co-written by Black, Charles Mondry, and Anthony Bagarozzi that feels like a recycled patchwork of every heist film you have ever seen. The humor rarely lands, the action drowns in bloated CG, and even Alan Silvestri’s jazzy score seems better suited for a stylish, grounded caper like “The Thomas Crown Affair” than this pseudo “Fast and Furious” knockoff.
Worst of all, the heist itself, the genre’s beating heart, falls completely flat. Instead of the careful planning, razor-wire tension, and clever improvisation that make these stories sing, everything unfolds as if success were preordained. The characters stumble from one beat to the next, while the subplots pile up with little payoff. Parker’s vendetta against a crime syndicate led by a scruffy Tony Shalhoub feels as half-baked as Zen’s arc, and the portrayal of Latin American characters exists mostly as a perfunctory plot device, adding borrowed urgency rather than genuine stakes.
By the end, “Play Dirty” feels less like a fresh Shane Black comeback and more like another casualty of the streaming churn, loud, empty, and forgettable. Still, in its clumsy excess, it is at least easier to sit through than “Fountain of Youth,” which is saying something. Here is hoping Black keeps more in reserve for his next outing, because the talent is still there.
