Blu-ray

Donald Westlake's series of 24 books about career criminal Parker have proved particularly popular with filmmakers over the past five decades. The likes of Lee Marvin (Point Blank), Mel Gibson (Payback), Jim Brown (The Split) and even Anna Karina (Made in the USA) have all starred as variations on Westlake's antihero over the decades – although, curiously, this latest adaptation is the first to keep the character's name from the books.

For anybody who has seen any of the earlier movies, the set-up here will be instantly familiar. Betrayed and left for dead by a gang of thieves he was working with, Parker (Jason Statham) is out for revenge as he tracks them down to Palm Beach. There he enlists the help of ditzy realtor Leslie (Jennifer Lopez) in spoiling the gang's plan to rob a high-profile jewellery auction.

While it lacks the raw grit and icy machismo of John Boorman's celebrated Point Blank, there's still plenty to like here. Statham's gruff physicality suits the role to a tee and he and Lopez make a fun double-act. Meanwhile veteran director Taylor Hackford (An Officer and a Gentleman, Proof of Life) keeps the plot ticking along at a decent pace and delivers an astonishingly brutal fight scene in an apartment bathroom. All in all, it's an effective piece of pulp cinema.

Picture: Shot using the Red Epic digital camera, Parker cuts a very dashing figure on Blu-ray – particularly when it comes to clarity and detailing. However, the real highlight is the AVC 2.40:1 encode's gorgeous colour palette, with the sun-kissed Palm Beach exteriors throwing up plenty of richly saturated primaries that pop off the screen.
Picture rating: 4.5/5

Audio: Parker's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is easily on a par with the disc's video presentation. Extremely well balanced, the track doesn't always go for the jugular in terms of dynamic effects, but it does a great job of creating a convincing 360-degree soundscape. Dialogue and music also play extremely well, and when the guns start firing, you'll find there's plenty of power lurking in the low-end.
Audio rating: 4/5

Extras: The best of this Blu-ray's fairly meagre bunch of bonus features is an engaging audio commentary by veteran director Taylor Hackford. The only other extras the disc can muster up are a quartet of short promo featurettes (Bringing the Hunter to Life: The Making of Parker, Who is Parker?, The Origin of Parker and Broken Necks and Bloody Knuckles) – three of which don't even make it to the five-minute mark. There isn't even a J-Lo music video.
Extras rating: 2/5

We say: Despite the routine extra features, this is a solid Blu-ray outing for an enjoyable thriller

Parker, EntertainmentOne, Region B BD, £20 Approx
HCC VERDICT: 3.5/5