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MOVIE REVIEW: ‘The Mechanic’ A Throwback Action Movie

The mechanic

Every now and then, the Hub picks the movies. All his require the following elements: 1. Car Chases; 2. Shoot ‘em up scenes; 3. Scantily clad beautiful woman; and 4. The line, “We’re goin’ in,” at least once.

The Mechanic fit all these molds and more, so the Hub was happy. I was bored and wished I could check my text messages, but I held strong to the popcorn and endured.

I like Jason Statham, as I adore a British accent, and so when Jason wasn’t scantily clad, I closed my eyes and listened to the dialog. It was a good popcorn film, almost a B movie, which I adore. It did not once make me cover my eyes, so it is a happy medium in conformity.

The Mechanic is a remake of a Michael Winner directed thriller from the 1970’s starring Charles Bronson. The remake is a minor pleasure, a stripped down film with Jason Statham playing Arthur Bishop, a reclusive killer who performs hits for a mysterious organization.

The plot: Bishop (Jason Statham) is a ‘mechanic’ an elite assassin with a strict code and unique talent for cleanly eliminating targets. It’s a job that requires professional perfection and total detachment, and Bishop is the best in the business.

But when his mentor and close friend Harry (Donald Sutherland) is murdered, Bishop is anything but detached. His next assignment is self-imposed — he wants those responsible dead. His mission grows complicated when Harry’s son Steve (Ben Foster) approaches him with the same vengeful goal and a determination to learn Bishop’s trade.

Bishop has always acted alone but he can’t turn his back on Harry’s son. A methodical hit man takes an impulsive student deep into his world and a deadly partnership is born. But while in pursuit of their ultimate mark, deceptions threaten to surface and those hired to fix problems become problems themselves.

Director Simon West goes for lean and mean action scenes and relies on Foster’s nervy energy to keep things ticking along. Statham’s Bishop is painted too much of a nice guy and never comes close to Bronson’s silent menace in the original.

His initial scene demonstrates his expertise as Bishop takes out a Colombian drug lord in a crafty manner. The film is an enjoyable and engaging action film that never strays too far as a B movie.

Statham has consistently delivered hard hitting B Action films and if you’re a fan of the old school, 80’s/90’s R rated action films, The Mechanic is a must watch. For a brisk 90 minutes, it manages to provide some no-holds-barred, brutal and bloody action.

It will remind you of the days when they made more adult oriented action without all that CGI, but more fight choreography and realistic stunts and action. I think this is one of the most underrated and one of the better action movies within the last decade.

About the author

Justin Stoner

Justin is a journalist of more than 20 years. He specializes in digital technology and social media strategy. He enjoys using photography and video production as storytelling tools.

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