The Mechanic Review: An Unbalanced Love Fest

In the new film The Mechanic, Jason Statham has finally found his perfect match. And although I always dreamed that I would be the lucky one, it seems that is not the case this time. Ben Foster and Statham make an engaging duo in this new film creating an entertaining, if uneven, action delight.

The Mechanic stars Jason Statham as Arthur Bishop, the titular “Mechanic” whose mission it is to seek and eliminate the problems of society. In other words, he’s a hit man who takes out the bad guys. You know: the arms dealers, child molesters, and otherwise bad-ass bad guys of the world. Bishop is a detached and methodical assassin with the special talent of making his hits look completely innocent. But when Bishop learns that his next target is Harry McKenna (Donald Sutherland), a man who has served as his mentor and friend for several years, Bishop wonders for the first time if he has what it takes to complete his task. He does. But when faced with the victims left behind, McKenna wonders, how do you atone for the crimes no one knows you committed? What can you do when the world isn’t what you thought it was?

Ben Foster stars as Steve McKenna, the estranged son of mentor Harry, who in a turn of fate looks to Bishop for guidance after the death of his father. And so begins the unlikely partnership between a hit man and the son of a man he killed. We all know this is a house of cards, and they’re just about to topple.

The Mechanic is an action film, and in regards to action there is not much left to be desired. There’s a man-to-man fighting sequence, big guns, even bigger explosions, and Jason Statham who has become the epitome of an action hero. Statham’s range with the role of Bishop takes no liberties from any of his past films. He is the same one-toned, business-like man with an attitude as seen time and time again. No stretch there. But even knowing this did not detract from my enjoyment of the film for two reasons. 1. Jason Statham has a very commanding presence and 2. He has finally found his perfect match.

Early on in the movie Sutherland’s Harry tells Bishop that he needs someone. Now he means it in a romantic sort of way, but thankfully this movie delivers the best with Foster in the role of the younger McKenna. Foster’s Steve is the perfect counterbalance to Statham’s broody Bishop. Steve is a screw-up, a wild card, and more than just a little crazy. Providing comic relief, Steve also adds of bit of reality into this strained atmosphere. It is easy to see why he is so taken with this world, just as it is to see why, in spite of all good sense, Bishop would feel compelled to take him in. Watching the partnership of these two men is electric and exciting. And even knowing that somewhere there has to be a reckoning for past sins done, I didn’t want this movie, or this partnership, to end. No. Forget advancing the plot; just show them taking out bad guys over and over again. But alas, this was not to be, and I suppose that is for the best.

The Mechanic is a remake of the 1972 film of the same name. The 2011 version is directed by Simon West and also stars Jeff Chase and Mini Anden in thankless roles not to be remembered. And this leads to my great criticism of this film. Aside from the relationship between Bishop and Steve, there is nothing memorable about this film. This film relies so heavily on its two main stars that without them everything else falls apart. There are no great characters outside of them, nothing else but them; in fact, when they’re not on screen together the movie loses some of its sparkle. It would have been great if The Mechanic had stronger secondary characters to make this movie complete all-around. But as it is, most of the characters are quickly thrown by the wayside unknown or underused. You never really get to know Sutherland’s senior McKenna or Tony Goldwyn’s Dean Sanderson, and looking back this may have been intentional but it’s uncomfortable none the less. Yeah, it’s great that Bishop and Steve are such great characters, but that’s just to distract you from how little there is around them.

Overall, The Mechanic was a fun film. It had tons of action, great chemistry between the two leads, and a compelling story. Statham and Foster make a great team, though the movie’s focus on them led to an extreme case of tunnel vision that made waste to everyone else. In spite of this, The Mechanic is an entertaining movie. See it.

Photos courtesy of IMDb Pro