Review of The Mechanic (2011) by Brett C — 24 Jul 2014

Review In A Nutshell:

The Mechanic is the story of a hit-man who was given an assignment to eliminate his mentor, filled with guilt he decided to take up his mentor's son.

It seems that The Mechanic is one of those films where you could just look at the poster with a shrug and say "It's another Statham movie". The film certainly is essentially just another Statham action film but it is a good one!

The first thing that had me enjoying this film was its characters as the film don't just simply give us the basics of the protagonists; the film explores the relationships of these characters and detail a little bit of their previous history. These characters were actually able to feel like human beings rather than hollow plot devices. Once the film establishes its characters, it delivers a plot that has already been recycled in the genre many times, but since I was able to care about the characters beyond their superficial surface, it added a sense of weight on the story and amplified some of the film's themes. The film tackles the simple and overused ideas of betrayal, paternity, and revenge, and places them in quiet moments in the film, primarily driven via the film's dialogue. Though the film slows down during these moments, it doesn't let it affect the film's pace, ensuring the audience that something exciting will happen in a couple of minutes, but not giving the film at least the minimal attention it deserves would be a waste in exploring the film's characters. My only issue with the film's writing is in its final minutes as it counteracts the effective sentimentality with something that was already established during the first few minutes of the film, and ripping away all of the development the protagonist has gone through in the last hour.

This would be my first taste of Simon West's style of filmmaking and so far I am impressed. Aside from West's ability to have the audience show a little care for its characters, he also was able to craft adrenaline-filled action sequences that wasn't short of a couple of surprises. These action sequences may not break any new ground but they are certainly more entertaining than what we are given lately.

The acting in this film was surprisingly good, as I expected hammy/stoic performance from its actors, but the two leading actors were able to bring a little extra with their performances, allowing the audience to see them as genuine individuals rather than soulless hit-men. The sentimental conversations that occur between Statham and Foster were handled really well, not letting it dampen the film's tone and also providing only as support rather than it completely defining their roles. Donald Sutherland plays a minor role in this film, and for the moments he was on screen, he was pleasant to watch.

The Mechanic was a surprisingly good action flick that gives a little more than it should. It features thrilling action sequences and above-average performances from its two leading actors. If you are a Statham fan, then you have probably already seen this film but for those who aren't and are looking for a film to convince you then The Mechanic would be one of the best choices to start off with.