History YMMV / Parker

* MagnificentBastard : [[LovableRogue Parker]] is a GentlemanThief who has pulled many successful heists. The start of the film has him leading a robbery at the Ohio State Fair under the disguise of a priest, successfully stealing over a million dollars. When Parker's cohorts betray and nearly kill him for his cut of the heist money, upon being sent to the hospital by a family of farmers, Parker chokes out the nurse and takes his uniform and ambulance truck. Tracking down his cohorts to Palm Beach, Florida, Parker poses as a rich Texas oil baron under the alias of Daniel Parmitt looking for an extravagant house. Breaking into his cohorts house, he plants two extra guns hidden in it, as well as sabotages the firing pins on the remaining ones, allowing him to easily kill them and take their loot, splitting it with Leslie, as well as the family of farmers who saved his life at the start of the film.

* VanillaProtagonist: While Parker is a OneManArmy GeniusBruiser prone to PragmaticVillainy and the odd RoaringRampageOfRevenge, he can often come across as less colorful and/or developed of a character than many of the people who work with him, whether recurring associates (like Alan Grofield, Brenda, Dan Wycza, Stan Devers, Handy [=McKay=], Salsa, Noelle Braselle, Mike Carlow, NicknDalesi Lou Sternberg, and Sandra Locsalzo) or occasional one-shot crew members (Paulus, Brandon Williams, Fortumesca, William Manado, Littlefield, Abe Clinger, Pete Rudd, Ray Shelly, Little Bob Negli, Briley, Morris, Larry Lloyd, Hanzen, Tom Lindahl, etc.).

* EvilIsCool: Played with. Parker is undeniably a badass, but the "professionals" he works with often wind up dead and Parker himself can find himself stripped of a stake.

* WhatAnIdiot: Westlake will generally take some time at some point in each book to illustrate what an amateur would do in a situation, and why it's a bad idea. This is taken to new heights in one of Westlake's Dortmunder books, which alternates between the crooks reading a Parker novel with a carefully executed kidnapping, and the thieves in "real life" screwing up the plan completely.

* {{Squick}}: The knife going through Parker's hand.

* WhatAnIdiot: Westlake will generally take some time at some point in each book to illustrate what an amateur would do in a situation, and why it's a bad idea.
** This is taken to new heights in one of Westlake's Dortmunder books, which alternates between the crooks reading a Parker novel with a carefully executed kidnapping, and the thieves in "real life" screwing up the plan completely.

** This is taken to new heights in one of Westlake's Dortmunder books, which alternates between the crooks reading a Parker novel with a carefully executed kidnapping, and the thieves in "real life" screwing up the plan completely.

* LawfulEvil: Parker is methodical, self disciplined and performs some pretty unsavory tasks. He has more of a sense of honor than the miscreants he works with. Averted in The Hunter where his character was somewhat irrational and used brutality more than necessary.

** This is taken to new heights in one of Westlake's Dortmunder books, which alternates between the crooks reading a Parker novel with a carefully executed kidnapping, and the thieves in "real life" screwing up the plan completely.
* LawfulEvil: Parker is methodical, self disciplined and performs some pretty unsavory tasks. He has more of a sense of honor than the miscreants he works with. Averted in The Hunter where his character was somewhat irrational and used brutality more than necessary.

** This is taken to new heights in one of Westlake's Dortmunder books, which alternates between the crooks reading a Parker novel with a carefully executed kidnapping, and the thieves in "real life" screwing up the plan completely.

* {{Squick}}: The knife going through Parker's hand.

* Squick: The knife going through Parker's hand.