Parker (2013) - 4 stars out of 10

Parker (2013) - 4 stars out of 10 

“Parker” is pretty much what you expect from a Jason Statham action film.  His character is really cool, he’s being pursued by a hott girl, and he kicks butt in the end.  Probably the best part of the film comes early on when Statham is introduced as a nice guy who only steals from those who can afford it, but will destroy anyone that does not do what he says.  The story kept me interested enough to keep watching and find out what happened in the end, but some of the acting was so bad (particularly the gang that he’s hunting down) that it was tough to stomach at times.  I was glad to see that this was more than a “save the victim, kill the bad guys” film, with a fairly complex heist plot (times two) that was well thought out.  It isn’t “Ocean’s Eleven,” but it created an interesting subplot to Statham’s killing spree.  The blood was a bit overdone, particularly the knife through the hand and several injuries that characters unreasonably survived.  Jennifer Lopez, she was pretty unacceptable.  With performances like “Selina” on her resume, this was a large step down.  I am annoyed that they found some lame excuse to make her strip down to her underwear (just because she’s J-Lo) and the only thing that she added to the story was that dumb character that spoils the hero’s plan by doing some boneheaded thing at the end.  “Parker” is a below-average action film that is fun to watch but won’t do much for your absorption of good film content.