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Clifton Collins Jr. and Wendell Pierce have come aboard Parker, the newest thriller being helmed by Taylor Hackford. Cliften Collins Jr., as I’m sure all of you know, is most notable in his small role from The Rules of Attraction where he plays a coke addict/dealer who is completely insane. Also, Wendell Pierce was on The Wire or something… Parker stars Jason Statham and Jennifer Lopez to round out the cast of “been there, done that.” The story synopsis as quoted from Variety:
Based on the book series by Donald Westlake, story revolves around a thief who, though at times is forced to be a killer, still lives by a code of honor that includes never stealing money from people who need it. His word is his bond, and if he is crossed he will strike back relentlessly.
Donald Westlake has written numerous books that have been adapted to the big screen, such as Payback (Mel Gibson), The Grifters (John Cusack), What’s the Worst That Could Happen? (Danny Devito, Martin Lawrence), The Stepfather (Actor) and a dozen others dating back to the 1960’s.
Taylor Hackford seems to produce his own films as well as directs them, so I think it’s fair to say he’s forging his own path. Hackford has directed Ray, Dolores Claiborne and The Devil’s Advocate… I’m not exactly sure what kind of niche Hackford is looking to carve out for himself, but it seems to be movies that are kinda creepy but have funny scenes sprinkled in for added cheesiness. I guess that kind of film is popular with people on crack or people who eat ramen noodles everyday for breakfast.
Seriously though, check out that YouTube video.
[Via Variety, Via YouTube]