The Mechanic

Run Time; 1Hr. 32 Min.
Release Date: 28 January 2011
Directed By: Simon West
Dropps 6/10

Jason Statham is back on the big screen in 2011, and he starts off the year with a sneak attack rather than a bang. In The Mechanic, Statham plays an elite assassin that is trained in the art of causing “accidental” death as well as the ability of spinning the story of his victims’ deaths. When a change occurs in the ranks of the company that handles his business, he decides to take on the son of a former colleague as a protégé. Has our assassin decided that he needs a little company or will his student take his spot?

Statham and co-star Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma, Pandorum) have a great mentor-mentee relationship in the film. Even so, the stars’ great onscreen friendship makes the film become a little less action and a little more Karate Kid. There is some action, but not as many long scenes of fighting, chases, or gun blazing as you may be used to in previous Jason Statham films. Statham’s character in The Mechanic is very much reminiscent of his character Frank Martin from The Transporter movies, but the sidekick isn’t quite so good-humored and the lack of a singular, linear goal in the film detracts the slightest bit.

Even though I have bashed it, I still like The Mechanic’s fight scenes. Also, for anyone
who’s in it for the action, there’s enough explosive eye candy to suffice. In the end, The
Mechanic is a semi-formulaic action film with gunfire, a dead bad guy, and a protagonist who pulls off stunts you could only dream of accomplishing in real life.

-Ashlyn Williams