“The killer develops a conscience. I think that’s a breach of contract, Mr. Bishop.”
-Some guy, as himself
“Don't waste your time cruising the internet for porn because if you see ‘The Mechanic,’ you'll have all you need: violence…as porn that is.”
-One IMDb reviewer, who has no clue what that word actually means
“This compact 90-minute fantasy of vigilante justice […] feels fresh and satisfying. Maybe it's the presence of Jason Statham, the British action star who has a physicality like no other actor out there right now. […] Or maybe it's The Mechanic’s focus—unusual for a film of its type—on a male-male relationship that's more fraught than the usual pairing of two wisecracking buddies.”
-Dana Stevens, Slate.com
“While I wouldn't go so far as to call The Mechanic truly dull, it's definitely missing what has made other Statham action vehicles stand out so well: creativity.”
-Matthew Razak, Flixist.com
We (and by “we,” I mean the action movie-going audience in general) have certain expectations of a movie featuring Jason Statham. It’s not like we’re looking for anything politically correct, or anything that completely and utterly questions action movies in general. Quite the opposite, in fact; we want Jason Statham to teach us how to solve our problems by resorting to extreme and unequaled levels of violence and punching, shooting, and choking those we don’t like.
However, I think I speak for a lot of people who saw his latest film, the octane-fueled remake of the 1974 movie “The Mechanic,” when I say that we weren’t expected something so…mean-spirited, I guess is the word.
In “The Mechanic,” Statham plays the same basic character he has made famous in the Transporter series. He’s the unstoppable one-man WMD who is afraid to let other people in. And when it comes to the “WMD” part, the movie is not afraid to remind us of this. Even the basic premise of his character is much the same as his predecessor, an OCD perfectionist who wants to keep his “jobs” as clean and efficient as possible. Specifically, he makes a career as a covert assassin, one who is hired to terminate his targets under the pretense of unfortunate “accidents.”
One unfortunate “accident” later, Statham—I’m sorry, Bishop’s—boss winds up dead, and he is forced to take on the boss’s son as an apprentice to make it up to him. The young man in question is a trouble-making 23-year-old played by Ben Foster, best known as the supporting piercings-riddled apartment dweller in the 2003 version of “The Punisher” and for his blink-and-you’ll-miss-it role as the Angel in “X-Men: The Last Stand.” Foster brings an intensity and outright unpredictability to his role as an assassin-in-training, but considering the “-in-training” part, he has a long way to go to make a convincing action star, especially alongside the likes of Statham.
As the latest Statham vehicle, this film will inevitably draw comparisons to the Transporter series, especially the first one. To be fair, “The Transporter” set an extremely high standard for action movies in general. With this in mind, “The Mechanic” simply doesn’t measure up. All of those little, “technical” details like the camerawork, the editing, the action scenes, the score, the characterizations and that beast we call “acting,” are all a major step down from his previous work.
My own opinion on this movie was set in stone by the ending. Much in the same way that “The Sixth Sense” has become known for its twist ending, “The Mechanic” is driven by an ending which seemingly turns its entire premise upside-down. The longer I watched it, the more lukewarm I felt about the whole affair, but I still realized it was at least building toward a potentially powerful ending. Then, as I watch this potential ending unfold, they pull the rug right out from under me, as if to say, “Screw that other guy, we’re gonna make some sequels.” Who knows, though? Ten years from now, I might appreciate the morbid ending. Or I might hate it with a passion driving me to track down and burn every copy of the DVD.
-Some guy, as himself
“Don't waste your time cruising the internet for porn because if you see ‘The Mechanic,’ you'll have all you need: violence…as porn that is.”
-One IMDb reviewer, who has no clue what that word actually means
“This compact 90-minute fantasy of vigilante justice […] feels fresh and satisfying. Maybe it's the presence of Jason Statham, the British action star who has a physicality like no other actor out there right now. […] Or maybe it's The Mechanic’s focus—unusual for a film of its type—on a male-male relationship that's more fraught than the usual pairing of two wisecracking buddies.”
-Dana Stevens, Slate.com
“While I wouldn't go so far as to call The Mechanic truly dull, it's definitely missing what has made other Statham action vehicles stand out so well: creativity.”
-Matthew Razak, Flixist.com
We (and by “we,” I mean the action movie-going audience in general) have certain expectations of a movie featuring Jason Statham. It’s not like we’re looking for anything politically correct, or anything that completely and utterly questions action movies in general. Quite the opposite, in fact; we want Jason Statham to teach us how to solve our problems by resorting to extreme and unequaled levels of violence and punching, shooting, and choking those we don’t like.
However, I think I speak for a lot of people who saw his latest film, the octane-fueled remake of the 1974 movie “The Mechanic,” when I say that we weren’t expected something so…mean-spirited, I guess is the word.
In “The Mechanic,” Statham plays the same basic character he has made famous in the Transporter series. He’s the unstoppable one-man WMD who is afraid to let other people in. And when it comes to the “WMD” part, the movie is not afraid to remind us of this. Even the basic premise of his character is much the same as his predecessor, an OCD perfectionist who wants to keep his “jobs” as clean and efficient as possible. Specifically, he makes a career as a covert assassin, one who is hired to terminate his targets under the pretense of unfortunate “accidents.”
One unfortunate “accident” later, Statham—I’m sorry, Bishop’s—boss winds up dead, and he is forced to take on the boss’s son as an apprentice to make it up to him. The young man in question is a trouble-making 23-year-old played by Ben Foster, best known as the supporting piercings-riddled apartment dweller in the 2003 version of “The Punisher” and for his blink-and-you’ll-miss-it role as the Angel in “X-Men: The Last Stand.” Foster brings an intensity and outright unpredictability to his role as an assassin-in-training, but considering the “-in-training” part, he has a long way to go to make a convincing action star, especially alongside the likes of Statham.
As the latest Statham vehicle, this film will inevitably draw comparisons to the Transporter series, especially the first one. To be fair, “The Transporter” set an extremely high standard for action movies in general. With this in mind, “The Mechanic” simply doesn’t measure up. All of those little, “technical” details like the camerawork, the editing, the action scenes, the score, the characterizations and that beast we call “acting,” are all a major step down from his previous work.
My own opinion on this movie was set in stone by the ending. Much in the same way that “The Sixth Sense” has become known for its twist ending, “The Mechanic” is driven by an ending which seemingly turns its entire premise upside-down. The longer I watched it, the more lukewarm I felt about the whole affair, but I still realized it was at least building toward a potentially powerful ending. Then, as I watch this potential ending unfold, they pull the rug right out from under me, as if to say, “Screw that other guy, we’re gonna make some sequels.” Who knows, though? Ten years from now, I might appreciate the morbid ending. Or I might hate it with a passion driving me to track down and burn every copy of the DVD.
“The Mechanic” is a by-the-numbers action film. There are occasional touches, such as the impeccable opening scene, the use of classical music, Statham’s eventual confrontation with his boss and mentor, and the overall darker tone embodied in the title character, which nudge this movie past “just another action movie.” But at the end of the day, that’s really all “The Mechanic” is.
Note: The Brewsky is an enthusiastic contributor and movie reviewer. And no, he has not seen the original version.
Note: The Brewsky is an enthusiastic contributor and movie reviewer. And no, he has not seen the original version.
The thing with Jason Statham is you know exactly what you are going to get.He hasn't done lots of different films,just the same one over and over again.But that's part of the fun I suppose,leave your brain at the door and settle back for a couple of hours of nonsense.
ReplyDeleteNow that I think about it, I don't think I've seen many of his films, besides The Transporter and obviously The Expendables. I might have seen The Italian Job a while back, but it's been so long ago I can't remember.
ReplyDelete