Review of The Mechanic (2011) by David R — 19 Dec 2011

The Mechanic is a disappointing action remake. Director Simon West grants us with great, gritty photography of the New Orleans setting and some particularly nice shots, mainly during the action sequences, but he fails to elevate the mind numbing, heartless film above the average bloody actioner.

Stars Jason Statham and Ben Foster are both great actors in their own respects: Statham is a bonefide ass kicking action star that has proved his true acting chops in The Bank Job and in Guy Ritchie's early features, while Foster is a much more intense actor always turning in fine performances only to be lost in the rubble of star studded casts or little seen independent projects.

Therefore, it's painful that Statham's Arthur Bishop and Foster's Steve McKenna are poorly written, arc-less, immoral characters that sadly cannot be saved by the talented leads. Statham presents his usual stoic and intimidating physicality without being granted any qualities that make Arthur a protagonist worth latching on to.

Foster is just given a really nasty character with absolutely no silver linings, and though Foster gives a very solid performance, its lost due to the vileness of Steve as character. The action sequences here are entertaining like they should be, but lack real "wow" power.

The violence escalates from subtle and surprising to loud and silly as the film progresses, leading to a terribly over-the-top and unsurprising twist ending. Loaded with potential and with a decent director at the helm and great DP work, The Mechanic unfortunately turns out to be a very flawed and barely enjoyable remake.

It's emptiness and black hearted core make it hard to like, but certain moments save it from being a total failure. Audiences are better off checking out the classic Charles Bronson original or look to other contemporary Statham actioners to quench their thirst for blood and octane.