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Feb
23

Movie Review: The Mechanic

ReplyMovie ReviewFebruary 23rd, 2011lawtech

Jason Statham, what else can you say about this guy aside from his ripped muscular body, martial arts bravado and outstanding action movie hero persona? He grows more and more to be the eligible modern king of action movies, and he does it again in this year’s blockbuster remake of 1972’s Charles Bronson movie The Mechanic. The movie per se is not that swashbuckling as it seems (although the 1972 movie won’t have any two thumbs up remarks), but it is an epical waste of time to see Jason Statham’s “don’t you dare fuck with me” face at its best and witness bad-asses go against even more bad-asses.

The Mechanic presents Statham (Transporter Series, Crank) as Arthur Bishop, a mellifluous and deadly “mechanic” (in this context of the movie, it equals a hitman) who does the “without a trace” assassination jobs not even the CSI team can crack. He is hired by an unknown organization which the movie didn’t really give any picture in terms of temperament and disposition. Later in the movie, he finds himself at a dilemma when his boss Dean (Tony Goldwyn) tasks him to eliminate his close friend Harry McKenna (Donald Sutherland) due to a botched assassination attempt involving the latter. Ridden with guilt for completing the job, he finds himself left with Harry’s disappointment of a son Steve (Ben Foster) as his protégé in sculpting him to be a mechanic for avenging his father’s death.

All else, the plot of The Mechanic was pretty obvious and was needless to really scrutinize in order to determine what it is. He’s an uncanny assassin (after all it is Statham) hired to kill people and that’s all there is to it. His targets: the rival hitman, the drug cartel leader, and the swine of a religious leader, offer stories that aren’t really having much impact on the film. However, the twists and turns are what gave life to The Mechanic, therefore giving it a slight escape from the cliché. The moment where Steve becomes Arthur’s apprentice is the most interesting part of the film. Ironic isn’t it? Training the son of the man you killed just so he can avenge his father’s death is pretty much a twisted twist, but workable nonetheless. We all know Steve is going to find out sooner or later, the question is what happens when he does (and that’s for the ending). Also, the fact that one has no clear idea as to the real stand of Arthur being either an antagonist or a protagonist is something the film boasts all too well.


Regarding the role of Arthur Bishop, no one can do it exemplarily better than Jason Statham. His effortless portrayal of an enigmatic assassin with no moral attachments really paid off. It’s as if his character is his personality in real life. He talks like a hissing snake, he stares like he can devour anyone, and everything you see about him fits his role – just perfect. Then there is Ben Foster who is an unlikely tandem to Jason, but as it turned out, they got each other in a coalescent rhythm. Foster’s antagonistic sneers, evil-sounding voice and grimly face matched that of Arthur’s tough guy persona therefore making a good sidekick role.

And now we go to the violence, which apparently is an essential and ever existing element for action movies. The Mechanic fosters no censorship for violence and profanity, something Simon West (Director, Con Air, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) really gave life in this film. The strangulations, the asphyxiations, and the shootouts were bare and almost tangible, something unfriendly for the kids (Then again one might say this is not for the children! But who knows?). So hands down, The Mechanic is an R-rated film. Nevertheless, it is a film that can show you what violence really is, and that is something you can’t easily discard (Really? Hell yes!)
A lot of action movies come say ten times a year or more and a lot of them will really suck. So how did The Mechanic succeed in avoiding the death sentence? First and foremost, Simon West got Jason Statham to play Arthur Bishop, the supporting characters weren’t that bad, it’s rated R aspect is a much hyped turn on, and the ending was one hell of a bitch slap. Overall, I’d say it is one of those movies where one can be turned into a Jason Statham believer, grasping three stars out of five, and is one the rare few where violence is in the right place, something we all have to be thankful for.
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