The Mechanic Reviews

This remake of Micheal Winner's The Mecanic (1972) is not good at all. the cast is not so bad Jason Statham as Arthur Bishop and Donald Sutherland as Harry McKenna did a great job but Ben Foster as Steve McKenna it's a miscast and even if is acting is good he doesn't have the same type of presence like Jan-Micheal Vincent had in the original version. the screenplay is bad and the whole story is like a rusty motor who needs a Mecanic to repair this bad one.

Nowadays, Jason Statham must be the most dependable action movie star in the World. In the contrary of most of his colleagues, he never makes some dubious gambles by showing up in some lame comedies or tedious family features. On the other hand, he always plays the same character again and again and it is getting rather gimmicky at this point. This movie is a fine example and it just slightly managed to not become a really weak feature. Indeed, the first 20 minutes were just underwhelming. Then, you had a bit of Donald Sutherland who managed to do what he could with his part but he disappeared pretty quickly. Then, the mid-section was the most interesting part when you had Ben Foster becoming Jason Statham’s apprentice. In the opposite of Statham, Foster is one of the most versatile actors of his generation, his character was really intriguing and, together, they made an interesting couple. Unfortunately, the ending was filled up with some underwhelming action scenes, it was really disappointing and fairly predictable and to make things worse, they kept piling up the twists at the very end. Basically, you just have to look at the action stuff since the makers didn’t want to spend too much time developing the characters and that was rather disappointing. To conclude, even though I didn’t like it much, it still remain a decent action flick and I guess it is worth a look, at least if you love the genre.

I am in no way familiar with the original Charles Bronson film The Mechanic from 1972, but that may have actually been a benefit with a film like this. This remake does seem to be targeted toward my demographic though. The Mechanic caters to those who enjoy hard-hitting action films with a lot of blood that spews more vulgarities than you care to keep track of with a fair chance of nudity along the way. Truth be told, if done right those types of films can be massively entertaining and The Mechanic definitely falls into the "done right" category.

Jason Statham really seems to be hit or miss when it comes to how entertaining his films are and lately his work just hasn't been all that satisfying. The Expendables left a really sour taste in my mouth, so I wasn't sure how The Mechanic would turn out. However, this film was actually able to put Statham back in top form since it was able to deliver a pretty great story to compliment Statham's bone crunching fight sequences he's become notorious for. Despite the fact that the dialogue is filled with F-bombs left and right, it fit the overall tone of the film very well. Ben Foster wasn't disappointing either. Foster is one of those incredible talents in his early thirties that most people seem to overlook as having endless potential. As far as his performance in The Mechanic, it isn't quite as powerful as he was in The Messenger but seems to be more similar to his role in Hostage yet refined a bit to leave his true motives questionable.

Donald Sutherland also makes the most of his short time on screen. He has two scenes with Jason Statham where he makes two fairly long speeches that seem to stick with you long after his character is gone. That's how short-lived characters in films like this should be; memorable.

The one thing the film falls victim to is the shaky camera during fight and chase scenes. It works most of the time and isn't hard to follow, but there were two scenes involving Jason Statham's character where it was hard to distinguish everything that was being shown because of this technique. It's just when two guys are in a scuffle and they're throwing fists or hurling their legs at their opponent, the camera whipping back and forth at the same time doesn't really help matters. Now some guy's dead, another falls to the ground after we hear a snap, and another is clutching his stomach even though we only saw the main character move twice. The technique gets confusing and either needs to be modified somehow or dropped altogether for something new.

The Mechanic is actually really entertaining and is very much the definition of a guy film. It's packed to the brim with explosions, bloody headshots, broken limbs, and even a hefty and destructive car chase sequence. The film is worth seeing for Ben Foster's performance, but it's nice to see Jason Statham in a film that isn't disappointing for once. Overall, The Mechanic is dark, gritty, bloody, and just a hell of a lot of fun.

"I'm going to put a price on your head so big, that when you look in the mirror your reflection's gonna want to shoot you in the face."

The Mechanic can best be described as a typical Jason Statham action film in almost every possible way. There are a number of explosions and action sequences involving both gunplay and fisticuffs, and the plot is pretty standard-order but executed in a way that is not unduly boring. In short, it's a respectable action effort which compensates for lack of depth and drama with tight pacing and a number of tense, exhilarating action sequences. The "hook" of 2011's The Mechanic, though, is that it's a loose remake of the largely forgotten 1972 Charles Bronson action vehicle of the same name. However, this is one of those remakes done right; retaining the basic premise and a few plot twists, but updating various aspects of the story, changing narrative elements, and generally producing a fresh take of the classic which spawned it. Sure, there is not much difference between this and some invisible direct-to-DVD/Blu-ray action flick except for a bigger budget and laudable technical competency, but The Mechanic is a fun action ride destined to please its niche audience.

A high-value assassin known as a "mechanic", Arthur Bishop (Statham) specialises in developing intricate schemes to eliminate his targets; either framing other people for the murder, or staging the deaths as accidents. When Bishop's mentor Harry McKenna (Sutherland) falls under suspicion of leaking sensitive information pertaining to the company Bishop works for, Bishop is assigned to kill Harry, which he reluctantly does. Soon thereafter, Bishop happens upon Harry's depressed and angry son Steve (Foster), who haphazardly vows to avenge his father's death. On a whim, Bishop takes the reckless young man under his wing and chooses to train him in the art of assassination as an apprentice. An adept pupil, Steve soon begins carrying out assignments and accompanying Bishop to kill marks, but his apprenticeship was not sanctioned by the company...

A picture aimed squarely at the male demographic, The Mechanic racks up a large body count, serves up a few good explosions, contains gratuitous sex scenes, and generally supplies the goods for 90 minutes as if nothing but pure testosterone and adrenaline was in the script's fuel tank. The story is a simple one, and the driving force is action rather than dramatic growth. Unfortunately, the juicy dynamics that define the Arthur-Steve relationship are not explored to their fullest or most satisfying extent - here was a story ripe for psychological underpinnings and intense character interaction, but these ideas were reduced to minor sound bites since the filmmakers were more interested in the superficial. With that said, though, it is relieving that the script by Richard Wenk (16 Blocks) and Lewis John Carlino (who wrote the original 1972 film) never tries to play grandiose and tie what's happening into a larger, more topical world view. The world of these professionals is established, and the scope is narrowed, making for a good fun time at the movies without being weighed down by any unnecessary detours. The Mechanic eventually wraps up with an ending that will polarise viewers. On the one hand it's extremely badass, but it does lack the delicious irony of its predecessor.

At the helm of The Mechanic was Simon West; a capable action director whose previous credits include Tomb Raider and Con Air. West's adept touch when it comes to action and pacing goes a long way to making The Mechanic so much fun. Skilfully crafted, the film runs smoothly and refuses to pause for any great length of time in between the action. Of course, the action scenes are not overly unique, but they are hypnotic and badass, with old-school mayhem unfolding, bullets being sprayed, and blood splattering all over the place (though some of it is digital, unfortunately). Excellent stunt work and fight choreography bolsters the action, as does the use of practical effects - for car crashes and vehicular mayhem, the filmmakers employed an old-fashioned trick known as crashing cars and destroying actual fucking vehicles. This stuff makes the action more intense, exciting and visceral than CGI ever could. Logic is usually thrown to wind, but, with solid production values, who cares?

What's interesting about The Mechanic is that there are no good guys here, just stoic assassins, evil corporate bigwigs, and a few douchebags waiting to be killed by assassins. However, Arthur Bishop is at least given some depth and shown to have a soft side. With Bishop carrying out multi-million dollar contracts, he can afford a quaint house decked out in fine art and soothing music, making him a man with an interest in culture on top of his killing instincts. A throwaway subplot is also present involving an understanding, good-spirited woman (Anden) who has sex with Bishop in passing. Said subplot is underdeveloped, but it at least affords a degree of humanity to Bishop's character. And in the role of Bishop is Jason Statham. While it's true that Statham has become typecast, he remains one of the few true action stars left, and his tough guy persona is fitting for the role previously played by Charles Bronson. Statham does not step out of his comfort zone here, but who cares? He can kick ass with the best of them, and gets to do a lot of that in this flick. Meanwhile, in the part of Steve McKenna, Ben Foster is intense and serious-minded, coming across as a stoic, efficient killer. Tony Goldwyn and Donald Sutherland also appear, both of whom afforded a great deal of convincing intensity to their roles of Dean and Harry (respectively), as well as adding a bit of class to the film.

The Mechanic was designed and marketed as a Jason Statham vehicle, and it ticks all the boxes in this respect. The nitty-gritty of the story might not have been fully explored and it's not as good as the original film (which was more of a character study), but director Simon West once again proves he has not lost his touch. Perhaps The Mechanic is underdone and empty, but it delivers so well in the entertainment department and thus it does what it says on the tin, so who cares about its inherent deficiencies?

6.7/10