Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham, The Transporter) is a "mechanic" - a highly skilled assassin. He works for his mentor and dear friend, Harry (Donald Sutherland) and he enjoys his work. When Harry is murdered, Bishop decides to get to the bottom of why, since everything is not as cut and dry as it appears. However, matters get incredibly complicated when Harry's n'er do well son, Steve (Ben Foster) shows up and not only wants to avenge his father's death, but he also wants to learn from the master and, so, becomes Bishop's protégé, although Bishop is not too keen on it. At first, Steve is a train wreck, leaving collateral damage and mess at every turn. But soon, they are working together as a well oiled machine, kickin' ass and takin' names. When it comes to light that Harry's death may have been an inside job, the lethal pair will stop at nothing to bring those responsible to justice, no matter what the cost.
The Mechanic was very different than what I expected. At times, as I was watching it, I couldn't figure out where on earth the movie was going. That's not to say that it was directionless, it just felt very different that Statham's typical fare. The directing and the camera work is fantastic, however. I really enjoyed the stylized way they handled firefights and the action was over-the-top and lots of fun.
There are tons of explosions and lots of action and violence and, for the most part, it looks really good on the Blu-ray release of The Mechanic. However, the CG blood looked fake quite often, at least when it is flying off of someone's body following a bullet entry. Not Mortal Kombat cheesy, but just fake and clearly CG. However, I did like the explosions and the surround sound helped with immersion. As far as special features, there's not much. A handful of Deleted/Alternate Scenes and a making-of featurette are about all you'll get, but they are fun to watch.
Donald Sutherland is wonderful, as always, and Ben Foster reminded me a little bit of Justin Timberlake. He did a great job in the role, but he left me feeling a little uncomfortable, like he's the guy in the room who could go off at any moment. So yeah, I guess he was perfect for the role. Naturally, Statham is doing what he does best. Enough said.
If you like action flicks and you are a Jason Statham fan, you'll end up enjoying this film. It won't be his standard type of movie, but it will be one hell of a ride.
