ParkerMovie Reviews

So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 43 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
16 Iffy for 16+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 75
    Miami Herald | Connie Ogle

    Even the people who griped about Tom Cruise being cast as the towering Jack Reacher will have to admit Statham fits nicely in Parker's shoes. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter | Stephen Farber

    The picture is far from great, but it's a serviceable B-movie with some A-list talent on a slumming expedition. Read full review

  • 63
    Philadelphia Inquirer | Steven Rea

    Taylor Hackford directs crisply, unpretentiously. Patti LuPone goes Latina, playing Lopez's soap opera-addicted mom, and Bobby Cannavale is a Palm Beach cop with an eye for Leslie. The action is fast and furious. Read full review

  • 63
    The Globe and Mail (Toronto) |

    The tight-lipped, give-no-quarter Statham is impeccable as the pitiless yet honourable Parker (though fans of the books will no doubt quibble, especially over the British accent). On the other hand, Lopez, that pleasant sex pot, hasn't a hope of producing the tragic desperation of her down-on-her-luck character. Read full review

  • 63
    ReelViews | James Berardinelli

    The action scenes are crisply directed, brutal, and invigorating. Read full review

  • 42
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    The movie is a morals-free procession of bang bang bang! and blood blood blood!, and men slamming each other with blunt objects and slicing each other with blades. Read full review

  • 40
    New York Daily News | Elizabeth Weitzman

    If you go in knowing what you're getting, you should come out relatively satisfied. Our hero vigorously beats up a parade of bad guys. Lots of bullets fly. There are a couple of decently plotted thefts. And to tell the truth, Statham's Southern accent is nearly worth the price of admission itself. Read full review

  • 30
    Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern

    The essence of this grindingly violent movie can be summed up by what Parker says of his handgun to a terrified clerk at a check-cashing service: "It's small, but it hurts." Read full review

  • 25
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    This Parker spits in our collective eye. Don't blame us for spitting back. Read full review

  • 25
    Boston Globe | Tom Russo

    The best we get here are modest action diversions. Read full review

View more reviews for Parker on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+ Generic action flick has high body count, predictable plot.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that Parker focuses on a career thief (Jason Statham) bent on revenge after his gang double crosses him and leaves him for dead. His quest for vengeance leaves a body count in his wake. There are also lots of intense fight scenes, involving guns, knives, fists, and even a few pieces of furniture, and there's plenty of blood. Some of the characters drink, and most of them swear throughout the film, managing to weave "f--k" (and more) into even everyday conversation. There are brief flashes of nudity, though the film is surprisingly devoid of romance, even with co-star Jennifer Lopez trying her best to seduce Parker.
  • Families can talk about Parker's code of behavior. Is it OK for him to steal from people who can afford it or to hurt people who've wronged him? Is there such a thing as an "honorable" thief?
  • Why does Jennifer Lopez's character try to get involved in Parker's scheme? Why does she seem to relish the idea of getting deeper into a criminal plot?
  • How does the movie's violence compare to other action thrillers you've seen?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: There's no honor among thieves here, not when a gang of criminals double-crosses Parker, takes his cut from a big heist, and leaves him for dead. But nothing makes Parker (a thief, but an "honorable" one) more angry than people who don't keep their word; he tracks down his former colleagues to teach them a lesson about honesty. 
  • rolemodels true1 Positive role models: Parker is a career thief, but he's got a personal moral code: He doesn't steal from people who can't afford it and he won't hurt people who don't deserve it. That gives him a lot of leeway to break the law, and he leaves plenty of dead bodies in his wake. His co-star, played by Jennifer Lopez, is a regular person who gets herself swept up in Parker's latest plot, hoping for a piece of the action even though she's well aware it's not going to be by legal means.
What to watch for
  • violence false4 Violence: Plenty of action, and most of it leaves people dead. There are shootouts, fist fights, car crashes, even a shootout/fist fight inside a car that's about to crash. Parker isn't invincible and is left battered and bloody by several of these encounters, but his opponents come out even bloodier, and usually dead. In one particularly intense knife fight, there's a close-up the blade going all the way through a man's hand, but the other guy still comes off worse.
  • sex false3 Sexy stuff: Brief shots of topless women; Lopez strips to her underwear (so Parker can get make sure she's not wearing a wire). Lopez flirts heavily with Parker, but as her advances get more explicit, he shows no interest.
  • language false4 Language: Very frequent strong swearing, mostly "f--k," which punctuates almost every exchange between the criminals, as well as several variations of "s--t," plus "ass," "d--k," "damn," "hell," "goddamn," "oh my God," and "Jesus Christ" (as an exclamation).
  • consumerism false2 Consumerism: Parker spends much of the film driving around in a Bentley convertible, while Lopez bemoans the fact that her Mazda is about to be repossessed. Other scenes feature Ford vehicles. Several characters use Apple computers and iPhones, and the bad guys like to drink Budweiser beer.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false2 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Some scenes show guys drinking beer, and Lopez has a taste for white wine.
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Cast Interviews Exclusive Cast Interviews Jason Statham on getting beaten up, Michael Chiklis talks about respecting the fan base and why Jennifer Lopez calls this movie "Transporter and Out of Sight's baby." British Badass: Jason Statham Take a trip through the action-packed career of British Badass, Jason Statham!