One of the most unfortunate side effects of the streaming era is an overabundance of options, which sometimes leads to films from major directors slipping through the cracks in terms of pre-release buzz. Last year, Charlie Kaufman wrote the Netflix animated film Orion and the Dark, which was clearly no KPop Demon Hunters. A couple of years before that, Joe Carnahan directed the time-loop action movie Boss Level, featuring Frank Grillo, Michelle Yeoh, Naomi Watts and Mel Gibson. It debuted on Hulu to minimal fanfare. The trend continued this week with the release of Prime Video’s Play Dirty, the new movie directed by Shane Black, starring bona fide A-lister Mark Wahlberg.
It’s Black’s first film as director since The Predator, which was released back in 2018. Black made a name for himself with his self-aware buddy movies in the 1990s, with films such as Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout, and The Long Kiss Goodnight. He made his directorial debut with the cult classic Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and followed it up with the $1.3 billion hit Iron Man 3, to which he brought his unique acerbic sensibilities. Black cashed in his black check with another cult hit, The Nice Guys. Each of these movies has its set of fans; many of them were even critically acclaimed.
However, Play Dirty has opened to rather middling reviews. It currently holds a 49% critics’ score, and a slightly lower 46% audience score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. In his review, Collider’s Nate Richard recommended lowering expectations. “If you watch Play Dirty expecting something on the level of The Nice Guys or Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, you will be disappointed. However, the latest action-comedy from Black proves that he’s still capable of delivering an equal parts funny and action-heavy comedy with all the trademarks that make us love him as a filmmaker,” he wrote.
Jason Statham Previously Played Wahlberg’s Character
Also starring LaKeith Stanfield, Play Dirty is an adaptation of the “Parker” novels by Richard Stark, with Wahlberg playing the central character. Incidentally, the character was played around a decade ago by Jason Statham, in a film directed by Taylor Hackford. Wahlberg is coming off of a string of forgettable action movies designed for streaming, such as The Union and The Family Plan; he also headlined the theatrical release Flight Risk, which debuted earlier this year. You can watch Play Dirty on Prime Video, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
- Release Date
-
October 1, 2025
- Runtime
-
125 Minutes
- Director
-
Shane Black
- Writers
-
Donald E. Westlake, Shane Black, Anthony Bagarozzi
- Producers
-
James W. Skotchdopole, Jules Daly, Marc Toberoff, Robert Downey Jr.
