A
film review by James Berardinelli for ReelViews.net on Jan. 25, 2011.
Simon West's The Mechanic is a loose remake of the
1972 film starring Charles Bronson. In addition to updating various aspects of
the story, the filmmakers have changed elements (most notably the ending) in an
attempt to make it more audience friendly. Overall, the 2011 version of The Mechanic is superior when it comes
to presenting action scenes and keeping the overall energy level high. It is
noticeably inferior, however, on a psychological level, and the storyline
suffers from several hiccups. The
Mechanic is adequate light entertainment for those who enjoy thrillers, but
it is uneven and the underwhelming ending will disappoint those who enjoyed the
delicious irony served up by its predecessor.
Arthur
Bishop (Jason Statham) is a paid
assassin who hires out his unique services to a shadowy Company. He's a perfectionist who loves developing scenarios. He
never simply kills - he devises a complex scheme to rid the world of that
person. Bishop's mentor, Harry McKenna (Donald
Sutherland), has fallen under suspicion by the Company's top ranking
official (Tony Goldwyn) of leaking
sensitive information. Bishop is assigned to eliminate Harry, a task he carries
out with cool regret. At the cemetery, he encounters Harry's son, Steve (Ben Foster) and, on a whim, takes the
younger man under his wing. Steve proves to be an adept pupil and he is soon
accompanying Bishop on jobs, even though his apprenticeship has not been
sanctioned by the Company.
In
Hollywood, although perhaps nowhere else, there's such a thing as the hooker with a heart of gold. In The Mechanic, we encounter the hit man with a heart of gold [and an attractive girlfriend, Sarah, played by actress/model Mini Anden]. Bishop is
a suave, cultured individual who apparently only kills people who have it
coming. A drug kingpin, an illegal arms dealer, a cult leader - it's tough to
feel much sorrow for the people taken out by Bishop and Steve. Maybe that's why
the ending re-write was necessary. Bishop is such an upstanding citizen that
the irony no longer has its sting.
It
doesn't take an observer of cinematic trends to recognize that Jason Statham
has become typecast. It's hard to imagine him playing any role outside of his
narrow comfort zone. He's the tough-talking rogue in Guy Ritchie films, the Transporter, or the hard-to-kill lunatic
in Crank. Bishop isn't light years
away from any of Statham's previous characters. It would be interesting to see
what Statham's interpretation of Mr. Darcy might be. Perhaps only in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Ben Foster makes an effective
sidekick and provides the only (brief) sampling of acting not based in
testosterone. There's not much chemistry between Statham and Foster but,
despite the teacher/student relationship, this isn't the kind of film where
deep or lasting bonds are forged.
The
film's resolution is awkward. It feels contrived and out-of-place. There's a
reason for that. With a significant variation, it is lifted from the 1972
movie. However, in that production, there were subtle differences in the main
characters' relationship and not-so-subtle differences in how they arrive where
they are at the end. Had this edition of The
Mechanic retained the entire ending, it still might not have worked in
light of other changes, but at least it wouldn't feel as haphazard and
artificial, as if pieces of a puzzle are missing. The conclusion was the best
part of the 1972 The Mechanic. It's
one of the least satisfying aspects of the remake. [Blogger’s note: I disagree…
I much prefer the ending in the 2011 Jason Statham version rather than the
ending in the 1972 Charles Bronson version.]
Simon
West is a capable action/thriller director (his previous credits include Tomb Raider) and his aptitude comes
across in the way The Mechanic is
assembled. It runs like a well-oiled machine, without significant pauses for
exposition or lags between high octane sequences. Meditations on whether
revenge is an adequate motivation for murder are kept to quick sound bites.
None of the action scenes are exceptionally unique or characterized by flashes
of inspiration, but they are competently choreographed and won't bore most
viewers, even those who have seen all these things before. The Mechanic seems designed as a vehicle for Statham and, to that
end, it serves its purpose. It could have been more, but the filmmakers were
less interested in presenting an eclectic and challenging project with limited
appeal than something loud and stripped-down that might capture a wider
audience. [Berardinelli’s rating: **1/2 out of 4 stars]
Blogger's note: Frankly, the graphic violence in this film is just too much for me to watch.
Labels:
action, crime, thriller
Blu-ray 
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