Review: The Mechanic

I hope this confession doesn't impact my credibility, but I have no shame in admitting I enjoyed the action film Con Air with veteran actors Nicolas Cage, John Malkovich and John Cusack. Despite the over-the-top Velveeta cheesiness and explosions, this film has just the right balance of action, violence, and melodrama that it continues to entertain me even today. A lot of credit goes to director Simon West, and therefore I was excited to see how West would handle a remake of a Charles Bronson action movie. The result is The Mechanic, another testerone-charged film that lacks the balance and strengths of West's previous film projects.

Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) answers vague advertisements for a mechanic, which translates to fixing things by cleanly taking out targets as a professional elite assassin. His assignments come from a company that is partly controlled by his close friend and mentor Harry McKenna (Donald Sutherland). Bishop has no difficulties remaining detached from his targets until his assignment is to eliminate Harry. The company is not happy with Harry after a botched job in Capetown, and his ailing health and wayward drug-addicted son Steve (Ben Foster) isn't helping matters. With his skills and close attachment to Harry, Bishop accomplishes his mission quite easily and cleanly -- until Steve shows up on his doorstep. Steve wants to seek revenge on the "carjackers" that killed his father, and he is determined to have Bishop teach him the skills of the trade. Whether out of guilt or loyalty to Harry, Bishop takes on the impulsive hot-headed student who jeopardizes Bishop's typically deadly silent method and things get messy. 

Statham and Foster make a formidable and deadly pair in The Mechanic -- Statham's brooding is apropros for the mysterious and elusive hitman for hire. Foster is also well-suited for his role, as he can convey rage that explodes swiftly and violently. Veteran actor Sutherland as the invalid Harry is actually endearing, and more screen time for him would have been welcome. Tony Goldwyn (Ghost, Nixon), who is often typecast as a villain, plays Dean, the company man who puts the hit on Harry. Goldwyn could have easily phoned this one in, but with his track record it should come as no surprise that he hits the mark quite well.

Despite strong performances from the cast, The Mechanic falls flat. The frenetic pace of the film is overwhelming to viewers, as is the violence. Granted, one particularly graphic and violent scene isn't quite what it seems, but the rest of the movie hits with jaw-dropping intensity. There are a couple of red herrings thrown in but not enough to keep predictability at bay. I also noticed a couple of continuity issues within the dialogue, which pulled me out of the moment as I tried to make sense of the storyline.

I had high hopes that The Mechanic would make for a great date night, since both my fiance and I enjoy action flicks. I also rank Jason Statham in second place on the attractive action star list -- Daniel Craig (Casino Royale) reigns in the number one position. Ironically, I did not like Craig's second Bond venture Quantum of Solace for similar elements shared with The Mechanic -- frenetic pacing and jarring cinematography. I found The Mechanic to be incredibly violent, and despite not seeing the original version this film was still incredibly predictable. This action film will appeal mostly to male moviegoers, but beyond that The Mechanic lacks broad appeal.

Local Connections: Some scenes were shot in downtown Houston, Texas.