(2012-04-27 06:06:12)

Statham does it again!

This review is from: The Mechanic (DVD) Awesome movie. Great action scenes. Relatively darker than Statham's usual deal. Respect the rating: this is not a movie for little kids.

(2012-04-26 23:16:42)

Plot spoiler, but then again...

This review is from: The Mechanic (2011) (Amazon Instant Video) The movie would have done well to simply end three minutes earlier. Would have been a more interesting and less cliche ending. As such, it went the same route of most other B Action/Adventure flicks. Some good moments and no complaints with the acting, script or plot other than mentioned.

(2012-04-24 11:28:43)

Pretty darn entertaining.

This review is from: The Mechanic (2011) (Amazon Instant Video) Okay, as of late I have been stuck on period pieces, romantic movies and TV shows with hot vampire guys. I was glad to get a break from my normal girly stuff. I really enjoyed the action, the espionage genre depicted (although somewhat fantastical), the subtle comedy, and (yes) the "kick-a**-ed-ness" of it. Jason's acting is as usual...come on, what did you expect. However, it was nice surprise (as I didn't read anything about this movie cause my husband picked it out) to see Ben Foster and Donald Sutherland give the movie some much needed quality acting. For all you girly girls out there this movie is fun to watch...give it a try and make your significant-other happy.

niko88-1

(2012-04-23 15:36:47)

Entertaining action but must suspend disbelief to enjoy

Generally, I like to check out reviews on movies before I watch but forThe Mechanic I was dying to see an action flick so I went in with nopreconceived notions. What I got was an OK action movie with prettydecent fight scenes but a very predictable plot with many holes in it.First, let me commend the casting of Ben Foster in this, I am a big fanof his and it's nice to see him paired up with a well establishedaction star in Statham. Statham was his usual self, he has a quietconfidence and charisma that make you overlook his lack of range. Onthe flip side, the casting of the villain showed no creativity atall.(this particular actor plays the same role in many movies, he's notbad at it but he's definitely typecast so when you see him pop up in amovie you already know where things are gonna go) So rather than putspoilers in here just know that a lot of things in this movie don'tmake a whole lot of sense so don't think too much if you want to enjoyyourself.If like me you're craving to see an action movie, by all means checkthis out but I think most folks are fine waiting to see it at home afew months from now.

John DeSando

(2012-04-22 16:37:55)

He's the industry standard.

"Revenge holds the cup to the lips of another but drinks the dregsitself." Josh Billings Don't waste your time cruising the internet for porn because if you seeThe Mechanic, you'll have all you need: violence as porn that is. JasonStatham stars as a "mechanic" or hit man caught in a tangle of deceitand revenge coming right down the line from his place of employment.Statham,as Arthur Bishop, reprising the role of the granite CharlesBronson in 1972, is indisputably the star, even with partner pro-tem,Steve, being played by the very competent Ben Foster. Statham's scowl,punctuated by a slight smirk now and then, is the industry standard forgood bad guy.Early in his career I saw Statham in a café at Sunset Plaza inHollywood; I knew immediately the Transporter—-scruffy beard, baldingdome, and signature scowl.The two hit men, not much like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid(though when Statham and Foster jump from a building I couldn't helpthink of that romantic duo), are connected by the assassination ofSteve's father (Donald Sutherland), who was also Bishop's mentor. Aftera series of barely connected set pieces of explosions and bullets,Steve is ready to deal with his dad's murderer, and Bishop is there toteach and corral the blood-thirsty avenger.Although I enjoy Jason Statham's screen persona, with the lack oforiginality and a plot even I figured out early on, I am merely amusedby this film's formulaic violence.

(2012-04-22 04:37:00)

Uh oh - Better get Maaco

Ya - this sucked. Gave it two stars cause near the middle it actually got a little fun. Statham should be in contest with Seagal to see who can keep their words under three syllables. Script sucked, plot sucked, pacing sucked. It was like a bunch of bad edits mashed together to fill in an hour and a half.Also, this wasn't violent for those who like some blood and guts. Meh - go watch some silly fun like The Expendables or Rambo instead.

MLDinTN

(2012-04-15 19:55:15)

seemed to lack action....

for an action film. I like Jason Statham, but this is not his bestmovie. I wouldn't even call it one of his better movies. There justwasn't enough action. Statham usually has cool car chase scenes andfunny one liners. The best action in this movie was the very beginningwhen he meets the guy swimming. The light moment in this movie was thespiritual guru whom has a ketamine problem, sort of like MichaelJackson. And you just knew he was too cool to get taken out by hisapprentice.FINAL VERDICT: Not a great script. Pick one of Statham's earliermovies.

estebangonzalez10

(2012-04-15 07:15:30)

Good film as long as you remain detached from the plot like Arthur does with his victims

¨Victory comes with preparation.¨ The Mechanic is a remake of a 1972film of the same name staring Charles Bronson in another of hisinfamous revenge movies. Bronson made at least a dozen of those flicks.I never saw the original one, but I didn't have to because I've seenseveral films like The Mechanic, action packed and dealing withrevenge. Jason Statham was the right choice to play the role Bronsononce played in the 70's since in a way he is becoming the Bronson ofour generation. Statham has made several films like The Mechanic in thepast, The Transporter being perhaps one of his best roles to date.Statham might not be one of the most talented actors in the industry,but he is good at action. He seems to be playing pretty much the samerole in all his movies (the tough guy act), but given the right scripthis films can be entertaining. The script was originally written byLewis John Carlino for the original Mechanic, and it was adapted byRichard Wenk (16 Blocks) for this newer version. The Mechanic isdirected by Simon West, the guy who brought us Con Air, and he's beenaround action films for a while. This probably won't rank among hisbest works, but The Mechanic still manages to entertain with all itstwist (some more predictable than others), and nonstop action scenes.The Mechanic is a very violent film; it has a lot of blood and rawscenes. The problem with the film is that we've seen this sort ofaction movie in the past, but Statham still makes it worthwhile.Jason Statham is Arthur Bishop, a ¨mechanic¨, in other words a hit-man,or an elite assassin (whichever you prefer to call it), and he's one ofthe best in his field. He's quiet, professional, and remains unattachedto his victims. He receives his targets via an internet add sent to himby his boss Dean (Tony Goldwyn) and prepares for each job in his quietbayou, which serves as his hideout. Arthur is a perfectionist, hestudies every detail about his victims and if he can he carries the jobout as silently as possible. Sometimes you never even know he wasthere, making the murders appear as natural deaths. Arthur is troubledwhen he receives his next target because it is Harry McKenna (DonaldSutherland), his friend and the man who taught him everything aboutbeing a mechanic. Apparently Harry has betrayed the company and soldout some of the other mechanics. Arthur follows through with hisassignment, but when Harry's son, Steve (Ben Foster), wants Arthur toteach him everything he knows about being a hit-man the situationbecomes complicated. Arthur has a strict code, he's a perfectionist,and likes to eliminate his targets as clean as possible, but Steve ismore volatile and likes to get dirty. Arthur tries to teach Steve howto remain detached from his victims, but things begin to get messy. Thesituation gets worse when Arthur discovers that he was set up and thatHarry never had betrayed the company, it was the other way around. It'stime for Arthur to send his company a message for fooling with him.I really liked the opening scene of the film, I thought Arthur's firstassignment was well thought out and it helped establish his character.He did his job quietly and clean, and then he headed to his hideout,turned on some classical music and got rid of all the evidence like ifnothing had ever happened. The Mechanic begins with clean kills, butthen it becomes increasingly more violent as the film progresses. Thenthe twists begin showing up and several plot holes can be found, butthey are numbed down by all the violence. As long as the viewer remainsdetached to the plot, like Arthur is detached to his victims, then theywill have a good time with this action packed film, but if they sitdown and analyze it scene by scene then it probably won't be veryentertaining at all. The Mechanic isn't a great film, but it still isentertaining thanks to Statham and Foster who are great in the actionscenes. It's far from being memorable and I probably won't be seeing itanytime soon, but it's still worth a onetime viewing. This isn't amongStatham best films (like Bank Job, or his collaborations with GuyRitchie), but it is still better than most of his recent movies. Fosterand Statham form a deadly partnership and make this movie worth thewhile. In summary, The Mechanic is a forgettable, but entertainingfilm.http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/

(2012-04-10 09:33:09)

Enjoyable

I saw this in the theatre. Amazon has pretty good streaming quality for its videos. I've never had a problem.This is a very suspend your disbelief type of action movie. There's a lot of violence, macho-man-ness, and blow 'em up fighting. For an action film, I found it very cleverly done. There were deeper thought moments. The acting was pretty good. It had interesting character interactions. Many of the actors faces I recognized. The plot even ended up having a little twist. I enjoyed this as an action piece. I have never seen the original, but I can compare this to other films of the same genre in theatres today. I would say this is better than most in theatres now.

Douglas Young

(2012-04-09 17:15:02)

Professional hit men at their best

(Synopsis) Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) is the "mechanic," whichactually means professional assassin for hire. Bishop is the best inthe business of eliminating targets, and making it look like anaccident, meticulously setting up every detail of the hit. The hit isperfect when no one knows that he was ever there. Bishop's mentor andfriend Harry McKenna (Donald Sutherland) dies, and Bishop takes Harry'sson Steve (Ben Foster) under his wing to teach him the business.Together, they are one force; you don't want to be within their gunsights! (My Comment) This is a story of professional killers in action, and inthis movie you will get plenty of action sequences and explosions.Usually Bishop is detached from his assignment, but when he goes afterthe people responsible for Harry's death, all he wants is vengeance.Jason Statham's outstanding performance as the cool killing machine wasright on target. Ben Foster's character of killing his target is alittle more complicated than killing someone the easy way. There is alot more brutality; however Steve pays the price for not following whatBishop taught him. In one scene where Bishop questions a body guard athis home to get his boss' address, he goes way over the top. Overall, Iliked this action packed movie, but it is over before you know it. (CBSFilms, 1:32 Rated R) (8/10)

Maleplatypus

(2012-04-07 12:16:55)

Good entertainment after a hard intellectual work

All Jason Statham's movies follow relatively same pattern. He is a"hero" (who always survives, no matter what), and everybody else isexpendable. Story is relatively simple, somehow predictable, does notrequire "special acting abilities", and carries the movie itself. Thisis also such a "balanced" movie: has everything it needs, in rightquantities and qualities, skillfully distributed and mutuallyconnected. Viewer has only to sit back, relax, watch and enjoy. Andthat is what movies should be about: entertainment. This one is a biton the lighter side but - hey! - you drain yourself intellectually onthe job and you need something else to occupy your mind. This is it. Afair job for the viewer who does not require enlightenment and moral(unless you're a hit-man, of course – there are some useful trickshere). A good movie.

(2012-04-06 23:58:34)

Seen it, Done it - Before

Bland acting. Predictable dialogue. Boring, seen-it-too-many-times; something resembling action scenes. Original was much better.

James

(2012-03-30 22:00:20)

Fanaticalaboutfilms Review: The Mechanic

The Mechanic sees Jason Statham in a role that he rarely leaves thesedays as a vigilante, in this case called Arthur who fights against manyenemies. The plot takes it's slight twist by the addition of a sidekickof sorts in the form of Steve (Ben Foster).Arthur is a lone hit-man who is very good at what he does byeliminating targets whilst making them look like accidents. But whenhis mentor Harry (Donald Sutherland) is killed leaving behind his sonSteve, Arthur takes him under his wing and trains him up, teaching himthe ways of becoming a successful hit-man. Together they carry outcontracts while all the time trying to unravel who killed Harry andwhy.The movie is enjoyable with the action and methods in which thecontracts are executed making it a decent watch but it never reallytakes off as a film tending just to jump from one death to anotherwithout giving enough plot to keep me overly interested.I'm actually finding it quite hard to talk about anything else in thismovie because there just isn't that much to talk about. The acting wasOK, not bad or amazing and the same can be said of the rest of it aswell. It delivers on the action scenes but a film cannot be totallyreliant on just action to see it through.I think this can be summed up as a typical Statham movie with lots ofaction, a story that is never going to blow you away and a girl or twothrown in for good measure. Probably not as good as Crank but gives youa similar way to spend an hour and a half if your looking for areasonable action/thriller. If that's not what your after then thiswon't be one for you. Wait for it to come out as a cheap DVD or on theTV.For further reviews feel free to check out:http://www.fanaticalaboutfilms.com

mohammed2105

(2012-03-30 08:21:03)

Not good

Most people know Jason Statham movies involve high octane action withbrilliant fight sequences, you will be happy to know that this filmdelivers this well, however I believe that a movie with no decentstoryline or good characters has no reason being made, even if theaction is good. Some of the specifics of the film are ridiculous andsome are clichГѓВ©. Nothing in the story is fresh or original, if you havea good idea of what Jason Statham says or does in his action movies heprobably will say and do them in this one, you won't be surprised a lotin this film, one surprise element may pop up but it definitely isn'tenough. If you enjoy action movies regardless of the storyline or howthe characters came to be then this is the film for you. If howeverlike me you rely heavily on first story then second action this will beunsatisfying.

Sunnydeuce

(2012-03-25 19:07:51)

At least this was a decent remake

I generally avoid "remakes", but this one was pretty decent. No over the top stunts, good action and a believable story line. I got my money's worth. And that's saying alot in today's move market

(2012-03-25 11:41:52)

Most Excellent Remake of Classic. Action, action, action.

Loved the original with Charles Bronson (worth a look if you like this one) but think I like this version even better. Of course this is an action movie with lots of explosions, cars blowing up, gunfire and all this is well paced, sprinkled, throughout the movie. Perhaps more than anything, I like how the writers reworked the script of the original film and made it their own. This one I recommend for an action junky as can be watched more than once.

(2012-03-22 04:31:36)

Needs an "overhaul"

Not up to par with other Jason Strathom projects. Lacking on content. I lost interest very quickly with this all too familiar plot.

electrablind

(2012-03-21 06:23:50)

The Mechanic repairs action genre: The Filmsmith

thefilmsmith.com The iconic bald white guy John McClane is no longer allowed to say hiscatch phrase on screen, or shoot people who actually ooze blood. Soit's good to see another bald white guy take up the action film bannerin all its messiness.Jason Statham plays Arthur Bishop, a mechanic, who whacks guys with theskill to make them look like accidents. Things get dicey when hiswheelchair-bound boss Harry McKenna (Donald Sutherland) is killed, andMcKenna's vengeful son Steve (Ben Foster) comes looking for aneducation in the assassin business.From The Transporter to Crank, Jason Statham is a wrecking ball: youwheel him in to rock the house, but if you're looking for somethingmore riveting between action feats (character development, acting,etc), you need a different tool. Which is where Ben Foster is useful.In the critical darling The Messenger or The Mechanic Foster vibrateswith a centered zen that draws you in. Statham may have a menacing mug,but Foster, as the enigmatic Steve, upstages the action star at everyturn.Neither actor benefits from Simon West's direction, since most actionscenes are close enough to make out nose hairs, but none of thefisticuffs. Where Statham's physical virtuosity could be showcased,West forces us to be in the scuffle with nary a notion of what's goingon. This film doctor prescribes some wide shots from a Jackie Chanfilm.Despite directorial issues, some action pieces escape mangling.Hand-to-hand combat is particularly brutal when small-statured Stevegoes up against a 300 pound foe and his clever shots with a Glock 9mmmake him an admirable badass.The brutality of these scenes is a change of pace since we've beenraised by a decade of PG-13 cop films that avoid the F-Bomb or bits ofblood that get a film slapped with an R rating (which equals lower boxoffice receipts and restrictions on advertisements). Foster and Stathamdispatch goons in such varied, messy ways you almost feels sorry forthe hapless henchmen. The film's blood lust is as dark as its bloodstains.MAJOR SPOILERS, SKIP PARAGRAPHS What's most disappointing about TheMechanic is that it looks to conclude with a poetic equilibrium, yettrades it in for a perfunctory ending that leaves an opening for asequel.One of the plot twists to the film is that Arthur is told Harry McKennacrossed the company they both worked for. Arthur kills Harry (who tellsArthur, "I'm glad it was you,"); this leaves dangling tension betweenArthur and Harry's son Steve. Once Steve knows Arthur killed hisfather, the two men stop at a gas station. At this point each of themknows the truth, but neither let on. Which makes it all the moremeaningful when Arthur tells Steve, "I'm sorry about everything," in avague unrelated way, possibly hinting that he knows what Steve is aboutto do.Steve walks away from the truck while pumping gas and shoots the gastank, engulfing Arthur's truck in flames. He then goes back to Arthur'splace. A sports car Arthur has been working on is now completed andSteve takes it for a spin. He sees a piece of paper in the passengerseat which tells him "If you're reading this, you're dead." Stevegood-naturedly lols before being blown up.A nice, reciprocal, poetic ending for a couple of assassins.Until The film cuts to security camera footage of the truck explosion,which shows Arthur rolling away in a comical fast-forward – rewindloop. We then cut to a close up of Arthur leaving the crime scene anddriving away in a truck he just happened to have stationed nearby forjust such a random occasion.There isn't anything inherently wrong with this ending – it's just notas fresh as the one hinted at. Having Steve kill our lead guy wentagainst tired action film tropes. The ideal ending would have had Stevedrive away with Arthur's sports car (a changing of the guard) or evenhaving them both kill each other, Steve's last words being laughter.That would have been something to talk about.But no. Kill the most interesting character and leave the block ofwood, Statham, standing to live another day – or star in anotherinstallment.MAJOR SPOILERS OVER Yes, I'm disappointed the film didn't followthrough on its transcendent ending, but don't let that dissuade youfrom seeing this. The action sequences will making you think you'vebeen transported to the 1990′s (some digital blood, but otherwise tonsof practical effects) and Ben Foster makes it capable of withstanding asecond viewing. If you were disappointed by The Expendables, TheMechanic is a good mix of bullets and character to quench your actionthirst.-Remington Smith

(2012-03-14 00:29:59)

The Mechanic

This review is from: The Mechanic [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) Good movie, but somewhat predictable. I enjoyed the action scenes. I doubt there will be any sequels. I would recommend this movie to a friend but keep expectations contained.

aaron esmonde

(2012-03-13 20:24:02)

Above average remake and action thriller

An assassin's abilities are tested when he takes on an apprentice, butthings get complicated when he finds he's been used on his last job.Entertaining assassin/mentor yarn which tries to avoid clichés. DonaldSutherland puts in a welcomed cameo but is missed throughout the restof the film. Jason Statham is hit man Arthur Bishop, while he can dothese roles action roles blind folded Statham is subtler and morecomplex than most previous parts he's played. Ben Foster gives a hardhitting performance giving an edginess and weight to the character ofSteve McKenna and corporate bad guy Tony Goldwyn is notable.The Machanic stands head and shoulders above the mass of recent cheapand big budget flicks due to it's 1973 source material, smart writingand Simon West's gritty direction. The wonderful locations give it anair of realism and the soundtrack complements the setups.   With some thought out character development, twists and well executedaction scenes it's a pleasing above average hit-man thriller.