The Mechanic (C or 2/4 stars)
Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) is an elite hit man who works for The Company in 'The Mechanic' (remake of a '72 Charles Bronson film, & directed now by Simon West). Arthur is extremely efficient; methodical; an assassin who relishes creating foolproof scenarios for his 'work'. He's a murderer - yes - but his jobs comprise of complex schemes that kill his subjects in intelligent ways -- clean ways. Furthermore, as a 'mechanic', he has trained himself to emotionally detach himself from any particular job. But Arthur's emotional detachment is given a real test when his own mentor, Harry McKenna (Donald Sutherland, Italian Job reunion there), has fallen under suspicion by the Company's top man (Tony Goldwyn) of leaking information.
Arthur is assigned to 'eliminate' Harry; a job he carries out with much regret. Upon completion, he then wishes to kill the man responsible for this job (the Goldwyn character). After the funeral & at the cemetery, Arthur meets Harry's son, Steve (the intense Ben Foster) and, feeling guilty for having killed his father, he takes the son under his wing. Steve proves to be a quick learner, & he is soon accompanying Arthur on assassin jobs. Problem is, how is Arthur going to complete his mission (of killing the man who, in turn, ordered him to kill Harry), when Harry's own vengeful son is now under his wing?
My chips were in for this film early on, but the longer it went (and it's ONLY 85 min. long), the more underwhelming it felt; and the last 10 minutes or so are poorly written (as from the script). The entire end sequence is awkward, really. Contrived. And it's the kind of ending that makes you think that a few transitional scenes were cut here & there which would have made said ending feel more complete (and sensical). This, to me, is unforgivable; specifically because the film is only 85 min. long, & could have used another 15-20 to provide a smoother narrative. Furthermore, from what I hear, the ending was the best part of the original 1972 film version; and this ending is its worst aspect. The last thing a movie should have is a weak ending.
But let me backtrack & briefly discuss what I did enjoy (kinda). Jason Statham may be the most typecast actor out there, right now. He may be little more than our generation's stock action hero. But the man knows how to be genial, familiar & rootable - all the while, killing people left & right. He's sturdy; & audiences like sturdy. Ben Foster gives a credible performance as ne'er-do-well Steve. This character could have been complex, but the script doesn't give the actor much to be other than "surface" gritty, vengeful, & careless. But Foster brings his usual nuance to the table. Action-wise, a few of the sequences are memorable. I quite liked a psych-out situation involving an innocent girl & a kitchen garbage disposal. At least that had me on edge.
But I wouldn't quite recommend 'The Mechanic'. It's "too little" - if that makes any sense. There's nothing grand scale about the film. And I think Jason Statham deserves a grand scale, at this point. There's nothing in this movie that is unique to the assassin-for-hire genre. The action scenes (overly noisy, by the way) are competently handled, but lack inspiration. Some of the deaths are nasty; and not in a "that was sick (awesome)!!" kind of way. There are no surprises in the 'story'. And any meditations on revenge that the characters contemplate are shallow. There is an audience for 'The Mechanic'. I just have a hard time thinking that even diehard fans of the genre would find the movie anything more than passable entertainment. Nothing about it "rocks!".
Arthur is assigned to 'eliminate' Harry; a job he carries out with much regret. Upon completion, he then wishes to kill the man responsible for this job (the Goldwyn character). After the funeral & at the cemetery, Arthur meets Harry's son, Steve (the intense Ben Foster) and, feeling guilty for having killed his father, he takes the son under his wing. Steve proves to be a quick learner, & he is soon accompanying Arthur on assassin jobs. Problem is, how is Arthur going to complete his mission (of killing the man who, in turn, ordered him to kill Harry), when Harry's own vengeful son is now under his wing?
My chips were in for this film early on, but the longer it went (and it's ONLY 85 min. long), the more underwhelming it felt; and the last 10 minutes or so are poorly written (as from the script). The entire end sequence is awkward, really. Contrived. And it's the kind of ending that makes you think that a few transitional scenes were cut here & there which would have made said ending feel more complete (and sensical). This, to me, is unforgivable; specifically because the film is only 85 min. long, & could have used another 15-20 to provide a smoother narrative. Furthermore, from what I hear, the ending was the best part of the original 1972 film version; and this ending is its worst aspect. The last thing a movie should have is a weak ending.
But let me backtrack & briefly discuss what I did enjoy (kinda). Jason Statham may be the most typecast actor out there, right now. He may be little more than our generation's stock action hero. But the man knows how to be genial, familiar & rootable - all the while, killing people left & right. He's sturdy; & audiences like sturdy. Ben Foster gives a credible performance as ne'er-do-well Steve. This character could have been complex, but the script doesn't give the actor much to be other than "surface" gritty, vengeful, & careless. But Foster brings his usual nuance to the table. Action-wise, a few of the sequences are memorable. I quite liked a psych-out situation involving an innocent girl & a kitchen garbage disposal. At least that had me on edge.
But I wouldn't quite recommend 'The Mechanic'. It's "too little" - if that makes any sense. There's nothing grand scale about the film. And I think Jason Statham deserves a grand scale, at this point. There's nothing in this movie that is unique to the assassin-for-hire genre. The action scenes (overly noisy, by the way) are competently handled, but lack inspiration. Some of the deaths are nasty; and not in a "that was sick (awesome)!!" kind of way. There are no surprises in the 'story'. And any meditations on revenge that the characters contemplate are shallow. There is an audience for 'The Mechanic'. I just have a hard time thinking that even diehard fans of the genre would find the movie anything more than passable entertainment. Nothing about it "rocks!".