Play Dirty (2025 film)

Last updated

Play Dirty
Play Dirty (2025 film) poster.jpg
Release poster
Directed by Shane Black
Written by
Based onthe "Parker" series
by Richard Stark
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Philippe Rousselot
Edited by
Music by Alan Silvestri
Production
companies
Distributed by Amazon MGM Studios (via Prime Video)
Release date
  • October 1, 2025 (2025-10-01)
Running time
128 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Play Dirty is a 2025 American heist action thriller film co-written and directed by Shane Black. It is based on the "Parker" book series by Donald E. Westlake, under the pen name 'Richard Stark'. The film stars Mark Wahlberg as the lead character Parker and LaKeith Stanfield as Grofield, another recurring Stark character, along with Rosa Salazar, Keegan-Michael Key, Chukwudi Iwuji, Nat Wolff, Gretchen Mol, Thomas Jane, and Tony Shalhoub. It was released by Amazon MGM Studios via Prime Video on October 1, 2025.

Contents

Plot

Professional thieves Parker and Philly lead a heist at a racetrack count room, but an employee kills one of the thieves and wounds Philly, driving away with the stolen money and his family. Parker pursues him onto the racetrack and shoots him dead, bribing his wife and escaping with the score. The thieves are betrayed by getaway driver Zen, who shoots Philly and the others as a wounded Parker falls into a nearby river. Recuperating at a motel, Parker promises Philly's widow Grace to avenge her husband.

With help from fellow thief Grofield, who runs a struggling theatre company, Parker tracks down Zen's associate Reggie, who reveals Zen was a member of a death squad in her home country. Her fellow mercenaries kill Reggie and his driver, but Parker forces the surviving gunman to bring him to Zen. Killing her contact Bosco, Parker confronts Zen, who admits she used the racetrack score to fund a new score: Her country's corrupt President De La Paz has hired a crime syndicate, the Outfit, to steal treasure from a shipwreck De La Paz will be displaying at the UN, in order to sell the $1 billion treasure himself.

Parker and Grofield meet with Zen and her comrades, led by Colonel Ortiz, who plan to seize the treasure on behalf of their fellow citizens. Parker, exiled from New York City by the Outfit's leader Lozini, suggests they steal the treasure once the Outfit has stolen it from the UN. Parker and Zen question Bosco's boyfriend, fighting off the Outfit's men, and Parker drops Lozini's lieutenant Kincaid from a window while retrieving Bosco's plans for the UN robbery, hidden inside a stuffed elephant.

Married thieves Ed and Brenda Mackey and getaway driver Stan Devers are recruited for the heist: The Outfit will transport the stolen treasure by automated garbage train, which Parker's crew will derail. Zen attempts to seduce Parker, but her jealous comrade Mateo delivers him to the Outfit. Mateo is killed instead as Zen rescues Parker, and a phone call from Lozini reveals the Outfit is robbing the UN that night, forcing Parker's crew into action.

Posing as MTA workers, Ed and Brenda subdue the Outfit's inside man and hijack the train's switchboard. A drunk Stan crashes the getaway truck and nearly runs over Grofield, who shoots the failsafe brake, derailing the train. Parker, Zen, and Grofield discover the containers of treasure have been replaced with rocks, and Stan is shot in the leg as they flee in a stolen police car.

The crew turn on Parker for being outsmarted by the Outfit, but he convinces them to go after the shipwreck's figurehead worth $500 million. Grofield poses as a suicidal jumper as he and Parker lure Kincaid's bodyguard to the roof, throwing him to his death, and question the injured Kincaid, whose girlfriend reveals the figurehead is being sold to billionaire Phineas Paul. Parker kidnaps Phineas, shooting Mark Cuban in the process, and learn the figurehead is inside a secure facility in Green Brook Township, New Jersey.

Phineas escapes from an inebriated Stan and warns Lozini, who arrives at the facility just as Parker's crew drive off with the figurehead. The thieves escape in a snowy chase but lose the figurehead, which Phineas discovers is a replica. He informs De La Paz, who assumes Lozini has double-crossed him. Lozini and his men return to the facility, where Parker waited until the time-lock on the real vault opened. Destroying the genuine figurehead with explosives rather than let it fall into the wrong hands, Parker kills Lozini and escapes as De La Paz's guards slaughter the Outfit.

Leaving the crew with valuable jewels he saved from the figurehead, Parker confronts Zen, who suggests he join her for a simpler life in her home country, but Parker kills her to avenge Philly and the others. As Phineas and De La Paz's crimes are made public and Ortiz is named the new president, Parker delivers a share of the jewels to Grace, and he and Grofield return to their lives of crime.

Cast

Production

Amazon MGM Studios, Team Downey and Shane Black began working together on the project in March 2022, with Black having adapted a script from the Parker novels with Charles Mondry and Anthony Bagarozzi, with Black set as director. [2] Producers include Susan Downey for Team Downey and Marc Toberoff, with Ezra Emanuel as co-producer. [3] Amazon MGM Studios and Shane Black were working with producer Joel Silver on the project before Silver was replaced by Jules Daly in November 2023. [4]

Robert Downey Jr. was attached to the film as an actor prior to Mark Wahlberg's involvement. [5] In January 2024, LaKeith Stanfield joined the cast of the film, portraying Grofield. [6] Rosa Salazar also joined the cast in an undisclosed role. [7] In February, Dermot Mulroney and Tony Shalhoub joined the cast in undisclosed roles. [8] In March, Keegan-Michael Key, Nat Wolff, Chukwudi Iwuji, and Thomas Jane joined the cast in undisclosed roles. [9] Principal photography began on March 19, 2024, in Sydney Harbour. [10] [11] Filming locations include Ku-ring-gai Council and the Hills District. [12] In April 2025, Saskia Archer revealed she was cast in the film in an undisclosed role. [13]

In February 2025, Alan Silvestri was hired to compose the film's score. [14]

Release

The film was released by Amazon MGM Studios through Prime Video on October 1, 2025. [15]

Reception

David Rooney for The Hollywood Reporter writes that the film "lacks the spark to sell a sardonic master criminal" and that it was a "ho-hum caper." [16]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 45% of 53 critics' reviews are positive.The website's consensus reads: "Play Dirty marks a welcome return for writer-director Shane Black to the realm of wisecracking crime thriller, but haphazard execution makes this vehicle less of a comeback and more just low-stakes mucking around." [17] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 46 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [18]

References

  1. "Play Dirty (15)". British Board of Film Classification. September 29, 2025. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  2. Grobar, Matt (March 3, 2022). "Amazon's Robert Downey Jr.-Shane Black-Joel Silver Reteam For Series Of 'Parker' Film & TV Projects To Launch With 'Play Dirty' Movie". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  3. Murphy, J. Kim (March 3, 2022). "Robert Downey Jr., Shane Black Reunite for Adaptation of Donald E. Westlake's 'Parker' Series at Amazon". Variety. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  4. Couch, Aaron (November 30, 2023). "Jules Daly in Talks to Replace Ousted Joel Silver on Amazon's 'Play Dirty' (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  5. Grobar, Matt (November 30, 2023). "Joel Silver Fired From Amazon Pic Play Dirty; Producer's Lawyer Responds – Update". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  6. Kit, Borys (January 16, 2024). "LaKeith Stanfield Joins Mark Wahlberg in Shane Black's 'Play Dirty' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  7. Grobar, Matt (January 17, 2024). "Rosa Salazar Lands Female Lead Opposite Mark Wahlberg In Amazon MGM's 'Play Dirty'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  8. Grobar, Matt (February 6, 2024). "Dermot Mulroney & Tony Shalhoub Join Shane Black's Thriller 'Play Dirty' For Amazon MGM Studios". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  9. Grobar, Matt (March 7, 2024). "Amazon MGM's 'Play Dirty' Casts Keegan-Michael Key, Nat Wolff, Chukwudi Iwuji & Thomas Jane". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  10. Margolius, Zach (March 19, 2024). "Hollywood star Mark Wahlberg based in $100m Sydney Harbour mansion while shooting new film Play Dirty". PerthNow. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  11. Moran, Jonathan (March 21, 2024). "Faith, golf and tequila: Mark Wahlberg lifts lid on living and filming in Sydney". DailyTelegraph.com.au. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  12. "MARK WAHLBERG MOVIE CURRENTLY FILMING IN LOCAL BUSHLAND". kuringgailiving.com.au. March 22, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  13. Gray, Peter (April 8, 2025). "Interview: Saskia Archer; Australia's rising star on her role opposite Mark Wahlberg in Shane Black's forthcoming Play Dirty". The AU Review. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
  14. "Alan Silvestri Scoring Shane Black's 'Play Dirty'". Film Music Reporter. February 4, 2025. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
  15. Melendez, Marcos (August 1, 2025). "Mark Wahlberg's New Crime Thriller From 'Nice Guys' Director Finally Gets a Streaming Release Date" . Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  16. Rooney, David (September 30, 2025). "'Play Dirty' Review: Mark Wahlberg Lacks the Spark to Sell a Sardonic Master Criminal in Shane Black's Ho-Hum Heist Caper". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 10, 2025.
  17. "Play Dirty". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  18. "Play Dirty". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved September 30, 2025.