'Play Dirty' director Shane Black reveals why he cast Mark Wahlberg

LOS ANGELES — Shane Black, the director of the upcoming crime-drama ‘Play Dirty’, has revealed the reason behind casting Mark Wahlberg for the role of Parker, who is a professional robber specialising in large-scale, high-profit crimes.

Shane Black is returning to the director’s chair after he last directed ‘Iron Man 3’. With ‘Play Dirty’, Shane strips crime drama to its core and hands it to Parker, played by BAFTA Award winner Mark Wahlberg. While other movie criminals rappel down skyscrapers with high-tech gear, Parker figures out what makes people tick and use that knowledge like a weapon.

Sharing insights about Wahlberg’s character, Shane said, “Parker is an old-school organizer who does things based on psychology, not technology. He’s not a state-of-the-art criminal sliding down the outside of a building on a cable wearing a headset and laser binoculars. There are no fighters who do flips and balletic moves and walk-overs and spin-kicks in this story. “

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“He figures out what makes people tick and how to either work with them or thwart them. Westlake [the author] himself referred to him as being like a plumber, but with crime. He solves problems without any emotional connection. He’s not there to be anybody’s friend. He knows a lot, he gets the job done and he’s better at it than anybody else. Maybe he’s not a great guy, but he’s an interesting guy”.

Mark’s character in the film doesn’t rely on fancy gadgets, or adrenaline boosting stunts, but pure, calculated moves that hit where it hurts the most.

The film is based on Donald E. Westlake’s ‘Parker’ book series, and is co-written and directed by Shane Black. The story follows Wahlberg as Parker, a criminal who, after being betrayed and nearly killed, turns his quest for payback into an opportunity for the most ambitious heist of his life.

Reflecting on casting Wahlberg, and what made him the perfect fit for Parker, said, “Mark Wahlberg is in many ways that blue-collar guy. He represents quiet competence. When you’re doing a movie about a guy who’s somewhat robotic and quite brutal, you don’t want to cast someone who’s entirely unlikable. Mark has a very human quality even when he plays an action character. He has a sort of gravitas when it comes to appealing to the largest number of people”.