David Farnor | On 31, Dec 2025

Director: Shane Black
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, LaKeith Stanfield, Rosa Salazar, Keegan-Michael Key, Tony Shalhoub
Cast: 15 Certificate

It wouldn’t be Christmas without a Shane Black movie, so it’s a treat to see the Iron Man 3 director step back into the festive season with his latest offering. Once again steeped in neo-noir vibes, it’s no Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang – but then what is?

Mark Wahlberg stars as Parker, a veter thief who has his eyes set on the heist of a lifetime: a long-buried treasure that’s passing through New York, courtesy of the local mafia. And so he recruits right-hand man Grofield (LaKeith Stanfield) for the job. The ensemble expands to include Zen (Rosa Salazar), a back-stabbing former colleague who has a vendetta against her country’s corrupt president, who is league with the aforementioned mafia, aka The Outfit. The Outfit is led by Lozini (Tony Shalhoub), who just so happens to have a grudge against Parke – and thinks he’s dead.

What ensues is a hugely entertaining romp that sits somewhere between a heist, a revenge flick and several other mini-heists and revenge flicks in between. The script by Shane Black, Charles Mondry and Anthony Bagarozzi takes the Parker book series as its starting point and then enjoys weaving ever more intricate set pieces together, each one giving the cast the opportunity to spark off each other with natural comic timing. Mark Wahlerg and Rosa Salazar’s spiky anti-romance is the central source of conflict, with Salazar remaining wonderfully unpredictable at every minute, while Tony Shalhoub is wonderful the brilliantly horrible crime boss. It’s LaKeith Stanfield, though, who steals the show, clearly having fun as a failed actor who loves nothing more than to go method for any undercover hustle going.

Shane Black stitches togethe all these pieces with a breezy confidence that reminds you just how good he is at blockbusting. From the grim, attention-grabbing opener involving horses and some noticeable CGI to a lively train sequence, it’s a romp that makes juggling action and comedy look easy. What an unexpectedly fun Christmas present to unwrap.

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