Parker
2013 · Directed by Taylor Hackford
Original language: English
- action
- crime
The story
A thief with a unique code of professional ethics is double-crossed by his crew and left for dead. Assuming a new disguise and forming an unlikely alliance with a woman on the inside, he looks to hijack the score of the crew's latest heist.
What it’s like
Cool, sun-bleached Florida polish: wide, bright shots of Palm Beach mansions, glossy resort pools and clean white showrooms, lit by hard daylight and the flat glare of the sun on water, with the occasional night scene gone to blue and amber. Director Taylor Hackford frames the action in measured, widescreen compositions and lets scenes breathe, with brief, sharp bursts of handheld movement during confrontations and chases. The score is a propulsive, low-key thriller pulse, punctuated by lean silences during planning sequences. Its vibe is slick, cool and unhurried, a crisp Saturday-afternoon heist with an undercurrent of wry self-possession. Pacing is deliberate in the set-up and brisk through the job itself, and the emotional register stays dry and controlled: a hard, solitary professional who trusts almost no one, slowly and grudgingly working with a sharp, guarded woman who has her own angles. Violence is present and fairly frequent, with punches, gunfire and a couple of brutal, abrupt beatings; it's sharp rather than gory, and there is some strong language and a few sensual moments. Made for viewers who want a stylish, tough crime caper with a lean protagonist and a mood of glossy menace.
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