A heist drama that stars Academy Award nominees Mark Wahlberg, LaKeith Stanfield and Nigerian actor Chukwudi Iwuji, “Play Dirty” is the perfect balance of action and banter.
With a gritty, edgy feel and a snappy dialogue, the film follows a ruthless thief (Wahlberg), who along with his sidekick (Stanfield), sets out to steal a collection of priceless jewels and artifacts on loan to the U.N.
For the mission, they assemble a motley crew of unsavory yet highly skilled operatives, including art thieves, but it all comes with the inevitable complications of heists gone wrong: oversights, double crosses, poor timing and bad luck.
Packed with action, humor and unforeseen complications, heist movies have been enthralling audiences since the very beginning of filmmaking with 1903’s “The Great Train Robbery” and “Play Dirty” will keep audiences guessing.
Directed by Shane Black (“Iron Man 3”), it’s a diverse ensemble drama with twists and turns which also stars Keegan-Michael Key, Claire Lovering and Chukwudi Iwuji.
The action starts immediately and never stops and the first big action scene in the film takes place at a racetrack where a heist suddenly goes badly, spilling out onto the track and into the stands as horses and jockeys duck speeding cars and rapid-fire bullets.
“It has Shane Black’s signature all over it, all the back and forth that you expect from him, the gripping suspense and unique characters,” shares Iwuji who, as part of the heist, portrays a billionaire named Phineas Paul.
“Phineas is a pleasure-seeker, driven by greed,” says the actor. “So he is a perfect target for someone like Parker who has a bit of Robin Hood in him — you know, steal from the rich. Phineas is a perfect example of someone who’s never been held accountable in his life. He enjoys the thrill that he gets from dipping his toe into the criminal world, until that comes back to bite him.”
Iwuji, who recently co-starred alongside Eddie Redmayne in the hit series”The Day of the Jackal,” promises that “Play Dirty” is one of the most entertaining heist movies to come out in a very long time.
“Play Dirty,” will stream globally on Prime Video October 1.
By Samantha Ofole-Prince
