Review: 'The Mechanic,' not quite mechanically executed

Film: The  Mechanic (U)
Cast: Jason Statham, Ben Foster, Donald Sutherland, Tony Goldwyn, Jeff Chase, Mini Anden
Director: Simon West
Rating:  **½

Writers Richard Wenk and Louis John Carlino seem to have come up with ideal material for a Jason Statham showpiece — an adaptation of the 1972 Charles Bronson flick, refitted to suit Statham’s unique capabilities. Arthur Bishop (Statham) is a Mechanic — an elite assassin with a strict code and unique talent for cleanly executed assignments.

Not much different from Stratham’s studied turns in Transporter or The Expendables, this one is just a toned down version with a
slim-line plot and several well-executed terminator flourishes.

The intricately planned hits are quite watchable but what comes in between is not. The film is unorthodox in that it lacks high octane
action. Bishop engineers action on screen that is well-planned and executed with precision but his protégé Foster is given to impulse. The contrast is enlivening in parts till the narrative decidedly adopts a conventional revenge formula towards the end.

The absence of policemen in the New Orleans area speaks as much of lawlessness as of West’s microscopic focus on Bishop and his iconic skills. The film is relatively short on runtime, approx 90 mins, and therefore quite bearable!