The Mechanic

Directed by Simon West

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Product Description

Follows an elite hit man as he teaches his trade to an apprentice who has a connection to one of his previous victims. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 05/17/2011 Starring: Jason Statham Ben Foster Run time: 93 minutes Rating: R Director: Simon West

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1388 in DVD
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2011-05-17
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Running time: 93 minutes

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
The 1972 version of The Mechanic is a tough-minded action film that reflects its disillusioned era. While no masterpiece, it does get points for the retro-coolness of prime-era Charles Bronson, cast as an ice-cold hit man who begins teaching the tricks of the trade to a young apprentice. So the prospect of a 2011 remake isn't especially sacrilegious, and handing the central role to 21st-century tough guy Jason Statham is a logical choice; Statham's got the moves, the voice, and the three-day stubble necessary for the role. In some fairly significant ways, though, the remake backs away from the hardness of the original and settles for a less daring approach. Director Simon West (Con Air) manages to make even New Orleans locations seem monotonous, as he covers everything in a baked-butterscotch glaze and surrounds his antihero with the sleekest, most boring kind of modern hardware (the old skool LP turntable is a nice exception). Statham stays in his locked-down key throughout, while, as his student, Ben Foster--somewhat less jittery here than in the likes of 3:10 to Yuma or Alpha Dog--strides into one reckless situation after another. Playing peripheral roles as members of the hit man's shadowy network, Donald Sutherland and Tony Goldwyn successfully read their lines. The actual targets of the hits are creepy enough so that we aren't unduly troubled by Statham's line of work, and the ending falls far short of the memorable original. A take-no-prisoners approach to violence makes this seem even more like an empty exercise. --Robert Horton

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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews

56 of 57 people found the following review helpful.
Not Quite As Good As the Original, But Pretty Good Nonetheless
By Shawn Kovacich
Although this is a remake of the 1970's film by the same name The Mechanic which starred Charles Bronson and Jan Michael Vincent, there are only a few similarities between the two and a lot more differences. This movie has a lot more special effects and action sequences, but seems to lack considerably in the character development of Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) and Steve McKenna (Ben Foster) and the relationship between the two men. I was also a bit disappointed in the instructional and training period that should have taken place between the master hitman and his protege. I felt that this should have been developed more than it was, and what was shown seemed to be lacking in substance.
The plot runs pretty much the same as the original, but there are some notable difference, which I won't go into here so as not to ruin the movie for those of you who still haven't seen it yet. However, for those of you who have watched the original pay particular attention to the end of the film, where things aren't always what they seem.
Statham did a pretty good job reprising Charles Bronson's role of Arthur Bishop. However, I really couldn't believe Foster's portrayal of his character as much. I am not quite sure why, as I think Foster is a fine actor, but his performance just didn't seem to have the same ring to it as Jan Michael Vincent had in the original version. And although Donald Sutherland has a small part in this film, he played his role just fine.
One thing that I did really like in this film was the way the portrayed the various gunfight scenes with empty handed combat skills. Very believable and some of it would actually be very effective. This made the movie much more enjoyable for those of us that are tired of all the Hollywood fight scenes that have no basis in reality.
One particular plot point that I found very disturbing in the movie, which I won't detail here for fear of having a spoiler, but I will generalize in the fact that for Bishop to be a master hitman, he ends up making a very crucial error in judgment concerning evidence of a previous hit that ends up causing him difficulties in the end. In a nutshell, why would you go through all the trouble to commit a perfect murder and then take a picture of you with the dead body and then leave it lying around for someone to find. Not very smart!
Overall I think this is a movie that is worth seeing, but for all of us Charles Bronson fans out there, you just can't beat the original!
Shawn Kovacich
Author of the Achieving Kicking Excellence book and DVD series.

22 of 27 people found the following review helpful.
Like an old V8 engine: Full of horsepower but needing a tune-up
By Jason
Lacking originality and surprise, The Mechanic is nonetheless enjoyable for the action sequences alone. Awards it will not win, and there is quite a bit for a viewer to dislike, but the fast pace keeps the parts shiny despite the lack of polish.
Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) is a hitman who does everything perfectly, lives in a secluded multimillion dollar house, and gets his jobs via a hitman's version of Craigslist. Not quite as hyper or entertaining as his roles in the Crank movies, Statham nonetheless toes the brooding, meticulous line of someone in that line of work. It's believable, I suppose. His mentor and confidant Harry Foster (Donald Sutherland) worries less about the next target than he does his own son Steve (Ben Foster), an aimless troublemaker itching to find his niche. As the assassination business goes, complications lead to Harry fostering a relationship with Steve, who wants to emulate the Spy vs. Spy routines of which his father spoke so highly. Probably a bad idea since Steve is a drunk.
While I probably liked this movie more than most, there were numerous problems that will relegate this film to a future in the Walmart $5 bin. First and foremost, the tension in the action is great, and there are several white-knuckle scenes, but if I had a nickel for every millisecond cut I would have been able to watch several better movies the night I watched this. That is my new pet peeve. The cuts during several spots were so fast they were nearly subliminal. It's a shame, too, because the gunplay and stunt-work in the movie are superb. The headshots fly through with force and gusto; someone really wanted to ensure there was no doubt with a quite a few deaths.
Regarding the story and the plot, that's clearly not the point of this movie. Well, maybe it is, but originality surely isn't. I don't mind brainless movies - happens to be one of my favorite genres - but please make at least one aspect of the movie unpredictable. This may as well have been a silent film with a caption that read, "Hitman goes through training," before showing Statham and Foster in their machine gun montage. Speaking of that, you'd think there would be more to being an elite hitman than a few random medical books and assorted time in the backyard range.
The moment that ruined the movie for me, however, was Ben Foster's ridiculous reenactment of Kevin Bacon's infamous "so mad I have to dance" scene from Footloose. Thankfully there was less angst and grand mal seizure in Foster's rendition.
I expected much more for cast like this remaking of such a good movie. Director Simon West continues to be hit-or-miss.
Jason Elin

35 of 46 people found the following review helpful.
Why remake it?
By Smith
I don't understand hollywoods deal with remaking every movie they can think of. The original was fine and this movie has very little to do with the original. An assassin starts training a kid. That's about all they have in common. That's what I don't get, why even bother calling it a remake. Just make a new movie.
The original seemed to focus more on the details of the hit while this movie just focused on the death scene for the most part. And god forbid that every movie not end with a happy ending. Sometimes the good guy/main character dies, it keeps things interesting. Which is one of the things that made the original better.
It's worth the $1 rent but not worth buying.