The Mechanic
10 Feb 2011. Location: Cinema
Jason Statham stars as Jason Statham in what can really be classed as the Greatest Hits of Jason Statham! Jason plays a hitman-with-a-heart who's the best at his job! He jumps off bridges! He fights on rooftops! He chokes a fat cult-leader to death when he realises injecting him with adrenaline isn't going to work! After work he listens to gentle piano music (on vinyl, naturally), fixes up classic cars, and has a touching on-off relationship with a woman who doesn't even know his name! He's THAT magnetic, see?
Jason's life/career/knob are all going swimmingly when he's presented with a job that stops him in his tracks - he has to kill a colleague OF HIS that's sold out the company! The plot thickens when Jason finds out that the company ITSELF might be, blah blah fucking blah...
Look, can't you guess what this movie's about? It's pretty obvious just from the fact that Jason Statham's in it. That being said, there are at least 10 other actors who could have done this job and suited it just as well.
Anyway, apparently a company that takes on jobs of indiscriminate killing for the highest bidder, MIGHT NOT BE VERY NICE PEOPLE!
Even though it's alright that you're an indiscriminate killing mercenary that works for them, because you listen to piano music, see?The plot, as it stands, is generic. So generic, in fact, that the cast may as well have masks with big numbers on, or t-shirts with their character archetypes printed on the front. I'll admit that I was expecting a certain character to return at the end of the film and he didn't, but other than that, it's business as usual.
The script limps along as best it can. Surprisingly adequate for the most part, but excruciatingly like GCSE course-work whenever there's any exposition to be done. I should also state that it's delivered very well. The fact that the film's supporting characters have been cast so nicely is either a credit to them for pulling off the material, or a sign that they're all typecast. Your choice.
Effects - great, they do the job they're meant to. The score and soundtrack - again, nicely done, especially some of the songs used 'in-movie'. The handheld camera isn't overdone either, so I give it points there.
All in all, you can wait for the DVD/Sky for this if you like. It looks great on a cinema screen, but you won't lose too much by watching it at home. You've seen it before anyway. In all honesty, it really is like almost every other film about a hitman ever made. Add in the action-hero element and even Mystic Meg could accurately predict what'll happen.
...oh, did I mention that I loved it and thought it was fucking awesome?
It's got Statham in it, for fuck's sake - what's not to like?
I don't expect it to be original, I expect it to be entertaining. Was not disappointed.
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organizations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
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