The Mechanic Review
Sunday, January 30. 2011
The Mechanic is a rare thing in Hollywood: a remake that actually manages to respect and surpass its source. While it maintains many aspects of the original - from the overall plot line to little touches like Arthur Bishop's classical music recordings and hidden wall of target information - the look and feel have been cleanly updated.
For those unfamiliar with the general plot, Bishop (Statham) is a hit man who specializes in discreet operations - "accidental" deaths, medical mishaps, crimes, etc. Any time someone needs to be termintaed without raising suspiscion, Bishop is one to call. One day he gets a job to kill a friend (Donald Sutherland), an action that seems simple at the time but ends up haunting him in the days and weeks afterwards. Complicating matters is the friend's son Steve (Ben Foster), an asocial misfit who Arthur takes on as an apprentice. The first few trials don't go so well, but Steve still gets a taste for the life and decides to take charge.
The basic premise is simple enough, which allows the movie to work on two levels: a straight shoot-em-up, as well as a deeper character study. The performances are excellent across the board, with Statham's usual scowl able to convey more than you might expect as he deals with the aftermath of the hit and his new partner. Foster likewise does a great job of drifting from reject to sociopath. The way he plays choosing to ignore orders in favor of a more hands-on approach was especially well done.
Not that any of this indicated a lack of action. There were enough gunfights, explosions, car wrecks, and fistfights to keep any action movie fan satisfied. But the deeper story and solid acting are what really helped it exceed my expectations.
Collector/Modeler Interest:
Bishop spends several scenes restoring a Jaguar E-Type Coupé, available in both kit and diecast form.
For those unfamiliar with the general plot, Bishop (Statham) is a hit man who specializes in discreet operations - "accidental" deaths, medical mishaps, crimes, etc. Any time someone needs to be termintaed without raising suspiscion, Bishop is one to call. One day he gets a job to kill a friend (Donald Sutherland), an action that seems simple at the time but ends up haunting him in the days and weeks afterwards. Complicating matters is the friend's son Steve (Ben Foster), an asocial misfit who Arthur takes on as an apprentice. The first few trials don't go so well, but Steve still gets a taste for the life and decides to take charge.
The basic premise is simple enough, which allows the movie to work on two levels: a straight shoot-em-up, as well as a deeper character study. The performances are excellent across the board, with Statham's usual scowl able to convey more than you might expect as he deals with the aftermath of the hit and his new partner. Foster likewise does a great job of drifting from reject to sociopath. The way he plays choosing to ignore orders in favor of a more hands-on approach was especially well done.
Not that any of this indicated a lack of action. There were enough gunfights, explosions, car wrecks, and fistfights to keep any action movie fan satisfied. But the deeper story and solid acting are what really helped it exceed my expectations.
Collector/Modeler Interest:
Bishop spends several scenes restoring a Jaguar E-Type Coupé, available in both kit and diecast form.
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