Time: 128 Minutes
Age Rating: 16
Cast:
Mark Wahlberg as Parker
LaKeith Stanfield as Grofield
Rosa Salazar as Zen
Keegan-Michael Key as Ed Mackey
Chukwudi Iwuji as Phineas Paul
Nat Wolff as Kincaid
Gretchen Mol as Grace Webb
Thomas Jane as Philly Webb
Tony Shalhoub as Lozini
Director: Shane Black

Play Dirty is Shane Black’s latest movie, following The Predator from 7 years ago. While I did enjoy that movie, it was by far the worst in the franchise and the worst in Black’s filmography. His next movie is another crime comedy, which was a good genre for him to return to. I did enjoy Play Dirty, but not as much as I hoped to. 

Play Dirty is essentially a formulaic heist thriller. You do see traces of Shane Black’s sharp writing that you can see in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Nice Guys, with witty banter and snappy humour. That said, it felt more like an imitator of Shane Black than the real deal. It doesn’t quite have that same energy, and wasn’t nearly as mean as it could’ve or should’ve been, really missing the edge from Black’s other movies. Also the actual plot and writing for the heist story is merely above average and nothing special. This doesn’t make Play Dirty bad, it just makes it a mildly enjoyable crime comedy, but isn’t anything more than that. 

The cast is likable on the whole. Mark Wahlberg in the lead role and he’s easily the weakest link here. He’s fine, but feels miscast and didn’t have what the movie or the character required. Lakeith Stanfield and Rosa Salazar fare much better and were standouts in the cast, especially Salazar. The supporting actors including Keegan-Michael Key, Chukwudi Iwuji, Nat Wolff and Tony Shalhoub were also good. 

Shane Black is a pretty good director, though this isn’t some of his finest work. Play Dirty really does look straight to streaming, competently shot, but visually bland and without much style or flair. The action is okay, but filled with distracting and terrible CGI. 

Play Dirty is a familiar and above average crime comedy, but nonetheless entertaining and funny, with an enjoyable cast and some fun sequences.