It’s both surprising and disappointing that “Play Dirty” (2025), the latest feature from writer/director Shane Black, was released directly on Amazon Prime Video with no theatrical release and little fanfare. While Black had earned some justified backlash for his 2018 attempt at “The Predator,” he remains one of the most influential screenwriters in commercial blockbuster history. Without the snarky, filthy dialogue that Black developed for “Lethal Weapon” and “The Last Boy Scout,” among others, most contemporary action comedies would not exist. Black has also proven himself to be quite a talent behind the camera, as both “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” and “The Nice Guys” have solidified themselves as cult classics.
Thankfully, the decision to essentially bury “Play Dirty” is an indication of the incompetence of studios to market wild swings by unique auteurs, and not a result of the film’s quality. When compared to the vast majority of streaming genre films, “Play Dirty” has a level of craftsmanship, intelligence, and personality that clearly distinguishes it as a passion project. It’s also a nice continuation of the themes, style, and archetypes that Black has explored throughout his career. Even if it often feels like a “greatest hits” compilation of Black’s previous hits, “Play Dirty” is so masterfully structured and delightfully absurd that it’s hard to complain about it being a bit derivative.
“Play Dirty” is inspired by the “Parker” series of novels by Donald E. Westlake (under the pen name “Richard Stark”), which has been adapted to the screen many times, including John Boorman’s classic thriller “Point Blank” and the underrated Mel Gibson action film “Payback.” Occupying the role of Parker is Mark Wahlberg, who captures the ruthless professionalism and no-nonsense demeanor of the infamous anti-hero. After several members of Parker’s crew are killed by the assassin Zen (Rosa Salazar), he joins forces with his allies Grofield (Lakeith Stanfield), Ed (Keegan Michael-Key), and Brenda (Claire Lovering) to pull off a heist involving the steal of a lifetime.
As with nearly all of Black’s films, the narrative of “Play Dirty” is so densely packed with double-crosses, shifting identities, and plotting that it would take pages of notes to completely comprehend what’s going on in a given situation. Black uses this hyper-kinetic style to his advantage, as the convoluted approach feels calculated rather than sloppy. Even when the characters obliquely refer to various events that may or may not have happened the way they’ve been described, it’s still easy to track the goal and stakes of each scene. It doesn’t hurt that Black has assembled an eclectic cast of character actors to pop in as the film’s rogues’ gallery. Among the memorable antagonists are Tony Shaloub as a corrupt New York elite, Alex Wolff as a weaselly criminal, and Chukwudi Iwuji as a shameless billionaire.
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While it’s not directly commenting on the nature of fiction writing in the same cheeky way as “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” “Play Dirty” does an excellent job at acknowledging the moments in which it plays into familiar tropes. Parker is a character who is often several steps ahead of the audience and is willing to call out logical fallacies, predictable story beats, and emotional stingers that could be seen as manipulative. The dialogue is as sharp as any of Black’s scripts, with several exchanges that could easily go down as some of his best. There may not be an evolution of his style, but there’s certainly a degree of self-awareness. Black is able to frame a few easy gags, and they turn them around to create subversive moments.
Black has continued to improve as an action filmmaker. The setpieces in “Play Dirty” are stronger than a majority of the major franchise films released in 2025. The violence is striking and immediate, but Black doesn’t linger on the carnage long enough to stop the pacing. It instead provides a needed jolt to remind both the characters and audience not to second-guess their instincts, and occasionally results in some amusing gross-out gags.
There’s a streak of sadism within Black’s work, but even the most brutal of moments in “Play Dirty” lack any mean-spiritedness, as it’s generally pretty clear that the morally reprehensible characters are intended to be the butt of the joke. It may lack the genuinely emotional subtext to the familial relationships in “The Nice Guys,” but the ability to deal with the inherent challenges of a dangerous lifestyle gives Black room to show a more empathetic side to the material.
Although Wahlberg and Stanfield make for a great onscreen duo, “Play Dirty” doesn’t exactly follow the type of “buddy cop” dynamic that Black first established with the original “Lethal Weapon.” It’s very much an ensemble piece, as even the most minor of characters (and occasionally extras) are given a moment to steal the spotlight, with no special distinction given to the more famous stars. That being said, Wahlberg is a surprisingly perfect choice to play Parker, bringing the sly, cynical perspective that makes the character both fascinating and slightly unreadable. Wahlberg is a genuinely talented actor who is often typecast, but “Play Dirty” is a reminder of how great he can be playing morally dubious characters, similar to his work in “The Departed,” “Pain & Gain,” “Three Kings,” and “The Yards.”
Stanfield is given some of the film’s best lines, even if he does feel a tad underused at points. Should “Play Dirty” chart well enough on Prime Video to spawn a sequel, it’s more than likely that he would be given a more substantial role. However, it’s Salazar who not only gives the best performance of the film, but also one of the year’s most impressive breakout roles. Zen is shameless, passionate, stone-faced, and at times gleefully nihilistic, and Salazar succeeds in creating a genuinely unpredictable character that still retains an emotional consistency to her. Black has sometimes received backlash for his portrayal of women, but Salazar’s starmaking work in “Play Dirty” certainly indicates that he’s taking steps in the right direction.
“Play Dirty” may often feel like a checklist of Black hallmarks; there are Christmas songs, bickering thugs, shipping containers, vehicular heists, and a series of interchangeable MacGuffins that don’t really end up mattering. Even a middle-of-the-road Black film feels like a welcome alternative to the dearth of releases intended to build franchises and protect brands, and “Play Dirty” is a welcome addition to the filmography of a transgressive artist who merits praise for his unapologetic nature.
