Choosing not to follow the opening of the 1972 Charles Bronson (The Dirty Dozen) movie from which it’s been remade (and famously opened with the first 16 minutes being completely dialogue free), The Mechanic begins with an illegal arms dealer going for a leisurely swim, before he’s expertly killed by the film’s hero; Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham, The Expendables).
Arthur Bishop is a mechanic (Leon fans would be used to referring to them as cleaners) working for a large organization who hire him to ‘fix’ their problems by killing any designated targets assigned to him, and as he’s the best in the business he has few qualms (only slight hesitation and a need to double check the file is correct) when he’s asked to assassinate his best-friend, mentor, and company handler; Harry McKenna (Donald Sutherland, The Pillars of the Earth).
Shortly after however Arthur begins to feel a degree of guilt and remorse, and agrees to look after and train Harry’s son Steve (Ben Foster, 3:10 to Yuma) as a result; teaching him the art of becoming a hitman; from preparation, research, and actually killing a target, to methods of killing, weapons, and fooling investigators.
Training then becomes the main element of the film; watching Steve learn, grow, and make dozens of mistakes along the way; until Arthur begins to uncover the conspiracy behind Harry’s death (something which is fairly obvious from the trailer), and goes after the people responsible, whilst everyone in the cinema wait’s for Steve to uncover the truth about who actually killed his father.
It’s clear from the summary exactly where The Mechanic is heading even before the theatre curtains pull back, but what remains hidden (even with the numerous trailers that have been released) is not only how good the action is; every fight is amazing, tense, superbly played out, and surprisingly shocking (because with all the headshots, lost limbs, and brutal beatings, we’ve seen over the years, getting a room full of critics and action fans to wince is a real achievement); but how dark and engrossing the story becomes, thanks largely to the superb acting; not adequately showcased in a two-minute advert.
Jason Statham has been more than comfortable as an action lead ever since he began The Transporter series, but works best when he has a suitable partner to play off (such as Sylvester Stallone in The Expendables); something which Foster clearly delivers; making this (thanks to the partner chemistry, and intense action) Statham’s best ever performance, and one that’s perfectly complimented by the film’s true standout star; Ben Foster; who comes over as an intense cross between Ethan Hawke (Training Day) and Avatar‘s Giovanni Ribisi, but is utterly convincing as a drunken waster, and just as capable of handling himself in the action sequences (whether bumbling a fight, or expertly shooting someone in the face), the semi-emotional scenes, and during the banter.
Supporting actors also pad out the movie well; with Donald Sutherland being a great choice, and fantastic as always (because it’s only an actor of his calibre that could hold so little screen-time, yet have every member of the audience caring for him, and hoping he’d escape with his life), and The Last Samurai’s Tony Goldwyn (the main villain), who may not give an Oscar worthy performance, but appears just as cold, greedy, and self-important, as any action bad-guy should.
But the true draw of this film isn’t the plot, or the acting (both of which are much stronger than most movies currently being released in the genre), but the action, and under Simon West’s (Con Air) smooth direction, it not only intense, gripping, and bloody brilliant, but looks fantastic, feels realistic, and stays constantly surprising; meaning it’s a film that will please any true action fan.
You make think you know what you’re getting with The Mechanic, and to a certain extent you do (plot-wise at least), but this is a film that delivers so much more than the trailer promises; as the plot, and relationship’s are actually worth following, the acting’s surprisingly good, and The Mechanic is what every action fan dreams of; a non-stop, balls-to-the-wall, action free-for all, that’s sure to entertain not only hardcore action fans, but even people who only dabble in the genre.
More ass-kicking than Leon, and certainly easier to watch than The American, The Mechanic is certainly a movie that’s worth checking out; one that’s bigger than its budget, delivers more than it promises; and contains some brilliant action to ensure you start 2011 with a bang, and an adrenaline shot to the heart.
