I've not read any of the Parker books by Donald Westlake, but I have seen POINT BLANK (where Lee Marvin plays him and he's called Walker) and PAYBACK (Mel Gibson plays him as Porter), both based on Westlake's THE HUNTER, the first of the Parker books. Parker is a thief seemingly without a code of ethics, but when you cross him you better make sure you've got your cemetery plot all picked out.
Now if only they can work on his romantic acting abilities - it's so painful to watch him, in every movie, never form any sort of connection with the female lead. Hugh Jackman suffers the same problem, although not quite as bad.
I loved Payback (of course, Maria Bello had a lot to do with that too), and it's been a long while since I've seen Point Blank but I think I recall liking it so I'm very excited to see Statham in this role - he can play badass-that-you-root-for so very well! And the script being written by the guy who did Black Swan, which grabbed you emotionally and physically, makes the mind dance at the possibilities! :woo hoo:
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
