MOVIE REVIEW … THE MECHANIC

 

It’s highly appropriate Jason Statham stars in this remake of a Charles Bronson film.  Much like the latter, Statham has made a career of playing scowling and raspy voiced heroes with guns his favourite weapons.  The Mechanic relies on his persona to the maximum with the usual amount of explosions and flying bullets sure to satisfy fans.  It doesn’t pretend to be anything other than a straight up action flick which is why Statham’s many fans have turned him into the 21^st Century’s answer to Bronson’s wayward heroes of yore.

Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) is a highly paid assassin specialising in making his hits look like accidents.  A master of his craft, a shocking incident sees him take on Steve (Ben Foster) as an apprentice.  Despite being rough around the edges, Steve and Arthur form a fruitful alliance.  When the shady Dean (Tony Goldwyn) enters the scene, a rift develops between them with buried secrets and deception setting the scene for savage vengeance and death defying action.

Everyone knows how these films end and those expecting some brilliant acting will be disappointed.  The Mechanic steadfastly adheres to these virtues with rigged determination.  It has an interesting plot and Simon West’s fast paced direction.  Having overseen Con Air and Tomb Raider, he should know a thing or two about how an action film should move.  Move The Mechanic certainly does as the characters reveal a duality with their deathly ways whilst destroying everything in their sights.

Statham is an old hand at this type of film and perhaps seems a little weary here.  His menacing presence is still intact with Foster doing the heavy lifting in the performance department.  He doesn’t do a bad job either and manages to adequately emote while his character stares death in the face.  The action sequences are of course stunningly realized and certainly should keep viewers awake until its predictably explosive finale.

We’ve all seen this type of film before and The Mechanic really doesn’t add anything new.  It’s entertaining nonsense however and the long departed Charles Bronson should be happy his legacy still endures in Statham’s gravelly voiced persona.

Movie Review Rating 6 / 10

Movie Review by Patrick Moore

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