Mark Wahlberg’s Play Dirty’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Unveiled

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Mark Wahlberg may be a popular actor, but reviewers aren’t as enthusiastic. His latest action movie recently premiered on Prime Video, and the response hasn’t been overwhelmingly positive.

His newest film , and premiered with a disappointing 43% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. At first, it had a slightly better 54% score, but that number has decreased as more reviews have been published. Currently, the score is based on just 14 reviews, so it’s expected to change again as more people share their thoughts.

While Play Dirty is currently streaming on Prime Video, it doesn’t have any audience reviews yet. The current score is based on just 14 opinions, with six of them being positive. Nate Richard praised the film, calling it a “return to form” for the director. He explained that Play Dirty is “better than your average straight-to-streaming action comedy, and that’s largely thanks to Black, whose personality really shines through a film that could have been another Fountain of Youth or Lift.”

In a review for Indiewire, David Ehrlich stated, “Although this doesn’t *quite* reach the level of classic Black films, it’s similar enough that I’d happily watch him make another one every two years for the next ten years.”

According to Jim Vorel of Paste Magazine, Play Dirty is a delightfully quirky adventure. He says it’s so unusual that it never drags, so ridiculous that you can’t take it seriously, and so enjoyable that its 125-minute length feels acceptable, though just barely.

In a negative review, David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter criticized Mark Wahlberg’s performance, stating he “shows little charisma, particularly when he’s flanked by an actor with the irreverent verve of LaKeith Stanfield, who steals every scene without even breaking a sweat.” Rooney also found fault with the story itself, explaining that director Antoine Fuqua “keeps his foot on the accelerator in the hope that audiences won’t notice the haphazard, barely logical plotting.”

Sreeju Sudhakaran of Latesly.com stated that “Play Dirty had all the right elements for a clever, darkly humorous film in the style of Shane Black, but it ultimately comes across as a less funny and impactful imitation.” Manuel São Bento of FandomWire described the movie as a “huge disappointment,” explaining that it “feels like a low-budget copy of a Shane Black film, not a truly original and noteworthy entry in his body of work.”

The review praises the cast, especially the duo between Wahlberg and Stanfield, highlighting that, “The fun of the film stems from the characters who are bringing the tropes to life rather than the actual story itself,” even though it “struggles with pacing and plot.”

Play Dirty Spent Years in Development

This action movie is adapted from the Parker book series by Donald E. Westlake, who also wrote under the name Richard Stark. The story centers on “an expert thief” attempting “the biggest heist of his life.” The film features Mark Wahlberg as Parker, alongside Grofield, Zen, and a talented team, and details how they uncover a job that puts them in conflict with the New York mafia in this tough and smart crime thriller.

Originally, Robert Downey Jr. was chosen to play Parker, which would have brought him back together with Shane Black following their 2005 film, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. However, he later left the project, which had been in the works since March 2022. Mark Wahlberg joined the cast in November 2023, shortly after well-known producer Joel Silver was removed from the film due to reports of alleged verbal abuse.

I’m really excited to see this action thriller! Not only does it feature Mark Wahlberg, but the cast also includes some incredibly talented actors like LaKeith Stanfield, and Rosa Salazar. Plus, it’s great to see Keegan-Michael Key, Natt Wolff, and the always fantastic Tony Shalhoub all in one movie! I’m a big fan of all of them.

Play Dirty is streaming on Netflix.

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2025-10-01 21:08