The Mechanic (2011)

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

If the handbook to film flaws was in the form of a film, this would be it. This film was just bad on every level. It is so overdone and unnecessarily violent. Jason Statham's character is so one-dimensional, it hurts. So much of the film just doesn't make sense and nothing seems to be justified. The ending renders most of the movie worthless leaving you with a sense of WTF! It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever why The Mechanic did what he did. I hated this film, in fact.

When Jason Statham is good he is very good. In this movie I think he is very good as the silent, deadly killer for hire. It is a straightforward killer/action/thriller. The story is nothing new but it is a well working story which is nicely executed.The story is, as I wrote above, not very original. Killer for hire finds out that his next target is his mentor and friend. As the professional he is he executes the job anyway but later discoverers that not all is as is should be. Time for revenge. A simple, straightforward and well working story.Things are complicated a bit by Bishop taking his friend's son under his wings. Of course he wants to walk in his fathers footsteps. He is inexperienced but also undisciplined. Something that, not surprisingly, is causing problems.I do like that Bishop stays a no bullshit hardass killer throughout the entire movie. No whining or silly emotional outbreaks or breakdowns. I also like the unemotional, silent and deadly impression of a professional assassin the he radiates.There are quite a few fairly well done action scenes in the movie ranging from silent assassinations to the obligatory blow things up scenes. The parts where Bishop and Steves goes after the big bad guy is quite well done with some quite cool stunts without being over the top.The ending was probably the only thing in the movie that was a bit unexpected. Unexpected in a good way that is. I quite liked the little surprise there.Overall I as well as my son liked this movie quite a lot. I hope that Mechanic: Resurrection is as good as this one.

The Mechanic is really a below average film. It drags along with not much happening, despite stuff happening. Statham plays this Mechanic who is a killer for hire. He seems to get his jobs from Donald Sutherland, and he typically completes the jobs with no one being the wiser.He doesn't trust the govt. But he blindly fulfills the missions he is given like a soldier. Suddenly he forms a partnership with Sutherland's son, Steve (Ben Foster). How does Steve go from nobody to killer? that was a leap, and I think the kid was miscast.The film degrades into a cat and mouse chase game with people trying to kill Statham and Steve, but he of course wipes them all out. The ending is totally Hollywoodian, and so predictable. You'll just say - boy that was NOT a surprise. If you like Statham beating up and killing bad guys, and don't need much of a plot, and sub b-grade acting, you'll be OK with The Mechanic. Otherwise, I suggest you find a different garage for your viewing pleasure.

Almost everyone I know that has watched this, and the original, swears by the original. Might be true to the extent of how derivative most Simon West movies are. But, for me, someone who hasn't seen the original (my local library has a copy - I'll visit it soon), this one delivered. It's not just another serviceable thriller, though it is predictable the way most mainstream action movies are. However, since its Statham we're talking about, I have to say that this one's quite a few notches superior to his 'Transporter' series (of which I only have affection for the first one), or his 'Expendables' series (West directed the 2nd one, which many fans call the best in the series). The casting's pitch-perfect, and it was an inspired casting choice bringing Ben Foster in, who's walked away with every scene even in the high-profile mainstream flicks he's starred in, including 'Hostage', 'Lone Survivor' and '3:10 to Yuma' (where he upstaged both Bale and Crowe, even though they were were in fine form throughout that superior remake) and had a fantastic turn with Woody Harrelson and Samantha Morton in 'The Messenger'. His role in this is weaker, relatively speaking, and he doesn't have much opportunity to flex his acting chops, since this is Statham's vehicle all the way. But knowing him from all those other efforts, he tries gamely, and gives Statham quite a bit of company, and though I wish his arc was stronger/better-defined, this was better than if someone else was cast in the same role.Sutherland gets too little screen-time, and is wasted, but once again, it's better to have had him in the role than any other alternative.The R-rated action is of the take-no-prisoners variety, juggling that approach with the artistic license / suspension-of-disbelief factor that plagues almost all mainstream action-flicks (thankfully not to the lengths that most B/Tollywood flicks plumb the depths of), that doesn't quite reach the bottoms to which the 'Transporter' movies succumbed to, so that's definitely a relief.Pity it wasn't more substantial though, and hopefully the sequel that's been announced has something good and surprising in store. Worth a watch.