DVD Reviews

The Mechanic - Blu-ray Review

By Patrick Luce May 23, 2011, 22:49 GMT

FOLLOWS AN ELITE HIT MAN AS HE TEACHES HIS TRADE TO AN APPRENTICE WHO HAS A CONNECTION TO ONE OF HIS PREVIOUS VICTIMS. ...more

A remake of the 1972 action film, The Mechanic sees Jason Statham stepping into the role of a weary hit man that was first brought to the screen by film icon Charles Bronson.

It is a solid performance from Statham, and a decent action flick – as long as you don’t expect much from the plot.

Directed by action vet Simon West (Con Air and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) with a screenplay by Richard Wenk (Lewis John Carlino also gets a screenwriter and story credit for the 1972 original film), The Mechanic sees Statham joined by an intense Ben Foster and a short appearance from Donald Sutherland.

The plot is pretty straight forward with Statham in full tough-guy mode as assassin Arthur Bishop - who is considered one of the best in the world and is a master of killing people in a variety of ways. The film opens with Bishop killing a drug kingpin in his swimming pool under the nose of the kingpin’s body guards. He then slips away without a single hitch to his plan.

We also see that he has a soft spot for a local drunk; lives a secluded life in a great house; and isn’t above visiting a woman who he has to pay for her time. Arthur is handled by his mentor Harry McKenna (Sutherland), and it is instantly clear the two men have a father/son relationship despite the fact that McKenna has a son - who appears to be a bit of a screw-up.

Their relationship has a wrench thrown in it after Arthur receives an assignment to kill McKenna. Although he respects McKenna (who says he is glad it is Bishop who takes him out), he pulls the trigger and does the job.

At the funeral, Bishop runs into Harry’s son Steve (Foster), and eventually agrees to teach him how to become an assassin. It is clear that Steve has a few screws loose, and isn’t going to be extremely good at following Bishop’s instructions. He also doesn’t seem to completely buy into the story that Harry was killed in a carjacking, and later finds proof that points the trigger back to Bishop.

The film ends in a ton of action with Statham and Foster having to square off against other killers, and each other.

The Mechanic is a decent action thriller with a solid look from cinematographer Eric Schmidt and a fast pace thanks to the steady direction of West and the editing work of T.G. Herrington and Todd E. Miller.

Stepping into the shoes of Bronson can’t be easy, but Statham does a solid job in the film. Thanks to his Transporter franchise, The Expendables, and just about every other role he has taken, the actor knows how to do the silent, deadly character. He doesn’t stray too far from what has worked in past films, but the formula fits The Mechanic character. He might not seem quite as refined as the character Bronson played in the original, but he is just as deadly.

Foster also does a decent job in the film, and seems to be channeling some of the past psychos he has brought to the screen – you see bits of the deadliness from his 3:10 to Yuma character along with the ragged edges of his performance in Alpha Dog. His character isn’t given much time to develop, but you don’t really look for a lot of growth in this kind of film.

The Mechanic knows what kind of movie it is, and does an excellent job with the action sequences, and a few elaborate hits – the swimming pool hit was pretty original and I enjoyed the hit they end up blowing towards the end.

The Blu-ray is a little light on features and consists of deleted scenes (which don’t do much for the film) and movieIQ.

Thanks to the slick feel of the film and the chemistry of the cast, The Mechanic is worth watching and will satisfy action junkies looking for some good explosions and gunfights. I am not sure if Statham can step into Charles Bronson’s image as the ultimate screen tough guy, but he delivers a performance that at least lets him stand in the Bronson’s shadow.