PLAY DIRTY (AMAZON PRIME) (2025)

SYNOPSIS: An expert thief rolls out the biggest heist of his life in Play Dirty, an action-packed thriller from director Shane Black. Parker (Mark Wahlberg), along with Grofield (LaKeith Stanfield), Zen (Rosa Salazar) and a skilled crew, stumble onto a score that pits them against the New York mob in this gritty, clever caper.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Shane Black (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, The Nice Guys) returns to familiar territory after a seven-year hiatus and, of course, after helming the ill-fated Predator reboot in 2018.

Co-written and directed by Black, Play Dirty is adapted from the novels of the late Edgar Award winner Donald E. Westlake. Mark Wahlberg leads as Parker, a professional thief specializing in high-stakes, high-profit crimes.

At its core, Play Dirty is pulp novel material dressed up in a contemporary New York setting. The story follows Parker after he’s betrayed by Zen (Rosa Salazar), a member of his crew, during a robbery. Despite the bad blood, he’s forced to team up with her again—this time with a fresh crew to steal sunken treasure belonging to a mob syndicate known as “The Outfit.” Their ruthless boss, Lozini (Tony Shalhoub), has history with Parker, who’s technically banned from even setting foot in New York.

Naturally, Parker being Parker, he assembles his usual allies: Grofield (LaKeith Stanfield), Ed (Keegan-Michael Key), Ed’s wife Brenda (Claire Lovering) and a new getaway driver, Stan (Chai Hansen). As expected, the heist doesn’t exactly go according to plan.

Black’s signature mix of action, violence, and comedy keeps the film breezy for its two-hour-plus runtime. Some of the humor lands, some falls flat particularly with Stanfield’s Grofield, who shoulders most of the comic relief. The biggest laughs, however, come from Lozini’s perpetually unlucky henchman Kincaid (Nat Wolff), who suffers the brunt of Parker’s antics.

The set pieces are pure chaos: a messy, CGI-heavy car chase at a horse racing track early on and a thunderous train derailment sequence near the finale. The film is crammed with shootouts, chases and betrayals at every turn. Unfortunately, the relentless noise doesn’t disguise a muddled, twist-heavy narrative that feels more exhausting than thrilling.

As for Wahlberg, he’s essentially on autopilot. His Parker is indistinguishable from Spencer in Spencer Confidential (2020) leaving you wondering whether he’s supposed to be a master thief or just another tough ex-cop.

Ultimately, Play Dirty feels less like peak Shane Black and more like a director-for-hire job. It’s not his sharpest work, but if you’re looking for a streaming title filled with nonstop, over-the-top action and don’t mind a bit of narrative mess, it may scratch the itch.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee