Reviewed By: Emanuel Caros

Often times you want a film to hit you with such intellectual fervor that it alters your outlook on life.  Other times you want to see Jason Statham kill a guy with a belt and make it look like he died from auto erotic asphyxiation.  The Mechanic fulfills one of those desires, and it's certainly not the former. 

In this remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson film, Statham plays a stealth hitman obligated to teach the son of a former associate the ways of a "mechanic."  Statham covers no new territory with this one, as he more or less brings back every nuance of his "Frank Martin" character from the The Transporter movies.  Still though, it's difficult to deny the enjoyment of a suave, efficient, and British combat expert blowing up everything in his way.  Add to that the stark contrast of Ben Foster's (3:10 to Yuma, Alpha Dog) vengeful burnout character and the movie plays as either a watered-down Leon or another Crank sequel.  Either way it's exciting from start to finish and some pretty brutal action scenes induce plenty of gasps.  

Visually, director Simon West (Con Air, Black Hawk Down) fails to do anything noteworthy, as fight scenes are shot very typical and his attempt at artsy shots of New Orleans' nightlife lacks substance.  The story itself happens rather quickly, featuring no back story at all.  This results in characters the audience couldn't care less about, and makes certain scenes seem pointless and out of place.  Regardless, West rides a decent premise, uber-violent script, and consistent acting to a mediocre result that finds value in gruesome fight scenes and huge explosions.

6/10