Parker (fictional criminal)

Parker is a Donald E. Westlake character who appears in his Richard Stark-signed novels. Parker is a quintessential professional criminal. His first name is never mentioned in the novels in which he appears, and there are many details about him which remain unknown (like his tradition of waiting for people by sitting on sofas in dark rooms). Parker is scary, not just because he is cold, methodical and efficient, but because Westlake is very successful in making him believable. Parker does not pull off extreme stunts or become unreal; he just does his stuff, always taking the most direct route to it.

Related Topics:
Donald E. Westlake - Richard Stark

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The first novel in Parker's series is The Hunter (filmed as Point Blank and Payback), in which he chases his ex-partners and ex-girlfriend, who have betrayed him in a heist and left him for dead. He does not die, but the police catch him, and having a police record is not his cup of tea. Slowly and methodically, Parker kills them all, one by one. When the mob protects one of them, Parker takes on the organization.

Related Topics:
Point Blank - Payback

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After that, Parker has some memorable stunts, like robbing an entire town in The Score or an Air Force base in The Green Eagle Score — always perfectly blueprinted coups, falling apart in the execution because of greed or incompetence on the part of Parker's partners.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Parker has been portrayed in movies by Lee Marvin (as the renamed Walker in Point Blank), Peter Coyote (as Stone in Slayground), and Mel Gibson (as Porter in Payback).

Related Topics:
Lee Marvin - Peter Coyote - Mel Gibson

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~