“The Mechanic” isn’t a movie I would typically run out to see in the theater, but after some consideration, it seemed like the most likeable option for this week. Statham doesn’t tend to disappoint, and I think “Crank” is one of the best (and funniest) action movies I’ve ever seen, so I figured “The Mechanic” would be a safe bet.
This film revamps the 1972 Charles Bronson movie of the same title. I’ve never seen the original, but Bronson’s movies are usually over the top and extremely cheesy. So, naturally, when I heard it was a remake, I thought Statham was perfect for the main character, Arthur Bishop, since the movies he acts in are equally over the top. The only significant difference between the two is that Statham’s character has all the wonderful technology that wasn’t around in 1972.
Another similarity between Bronson and Statham is the staples of their films: guns, women and fast cars. “The Mechanic” has all of these elements. It’s certainly a far cry from “The Transporter,” but the amount of guns and women seems to compensate for the lack of fast cars. Bishop is a contract killer whose boss refers to him as a “machine.”
“What I do requires a certain mindset,” Bishop says. “I do assignments, designated targets. Some jobs need to look like accidents. The best jobs are the ones nobody even knows you were there.”
Bishop begins mentoring his boss’ estranged son, Steve Mc-Kenna (Foster). After training him for several weeks, he sends McKenna out to do his first job. This is when the movie gets a little problematic. Bishop clearly feels indebted to McKenna’s father, Harry (Sutherland), for all he has done for him, because once Steve starts killing, everything starts going downhill. McKenna is too sloppy in his approach, and he doesn’t seem bothered by that fact at all.
The side of Harry’s gun reads “Victory Loves Preparation.” Apparently, the apple fell pretty far from the tree, because his son seems to throw any and all preparation out the window. As the movie escalates, he continues to make mistakes and jeopardize Bishop’s missions, making the viewer wonder why an otherwise flawless killing “machine” would even let him tag along.
Don’t get me wrong; some of the action scenes with Bishop and Steve McKenna are great, but McKenna really seems to be hanging on Bishop’s coat tails for most of the movie. I think a professional killer would have very little patience with such undisciplined, careless behavior.
The redeeming quality of this movie is the murder scenes, which are downright brutal at times. It almost made me wish that Statham would’ve used more guns instead of throwing knives in “The Expendables,” because the potential is displayed brilliantly here.
Although I enjoyed this movie, there are plenty of good movies coming out in the next few weeks. I recommend waiting until ‘Mechanic’ comes out on DVD and saving your money for a movie with a little more depth. But if you’re into movies with brutal killing and loose women, then this will be right up your alley.
