The Mechanik

The Mechanik is a solid bare-bones action movie. If amazing special effects and an all-star cast are required to enjoy a movie, look elsewhere.

Nick Cherenko (Lundgren) previously of the Russian special forces, has his family brutally killed by Russian Mobsters. Now he is offered a reward to recover the daughter of a millionaire, forced into prostitution by the same men. The plot is a no-brainer, its a simple revenge story which has been done a thousand times. While the acting varies, the locations give a real presence in the film. Wide soviet countryside and wartorn villages help thicken the atmosphere.

Action is paced, with some nicely executed shootouts. The violence is depicted as gritty - bricks chip and windows shatter as mercenaries fall. Deaths come with an abundance of blood and gore.

Overall, an entertaining flick with nice camera work and solid action. One of the better Dolph movies.

Dolph Lundgren stars as Nikolai a Russian special forces officer who takes vengeance on the (russian) mobsters who killed his family, assuming that the killer is dead, he works as a mechanic however when he is asked to help a European heiress, Nikolai needs little convincing when he finds out that the man who took her is the same man who killed his family in this fairly engaging straight to DVD release.

Dolph Lundgren has always been one of the more engaging action stars in the market and he certainly crafts excellent action scenes (Especially the climax) but where as The Defender had more twists and satisfying punch,this one is let down by a screenplay that is too mediocre to really work.

Still this is above average for the genre and despite a few silly moments, The Russian Specialist works fairly well. Also fans of Lundgren who wanted a sequel to Red Scorpion, here you go.

Matt Bronson 2.5/5

I just viewed "The Mechanik/Russian Specialist". It was a better movie than I expected. The basic plot has been done multiple times and I rate it favorably with other comparable movies. The action was good though in some instances a bit over the top. I would have liked to have seen more character development from the character Nick and the young kidnapped lady. Nick's character was too one dimensional. There were missed opportunities to develop these characters, (especially when they stayed overnight with the family in the countryside. (by the way, Bulgaria seems like it is a beautiful country). I think that the actors that portrayed that family did a superb job. The only real problem I had was during the Early scenes in the movie. The lighting was poor. I could barely see the actors. Overall, I was pleased with this movie.

Dolph has really done it. The Mechanik is an action movie at it best. It has everything an action flick needs. A good guy, a bad guy, shooting, close combat, blood and broken bones and a huge death count at the (happy) end. The story is very simple. Nikolai Cherenko (Lundgren) is a former spetznas (Russian special forces) who, after his family was killed by a mafia boss, went to the US to work as a mechanic. After 7 years a lady comes to him and wants to hire him to save here daughter which was kidnapped by the same gangster. Nick finally takes the job but of course it is not about the money but all about vengeance. He gets a backup team and… from here on the story and the end is quite predictable. But it is not the story that makes this movie a must see. It is the details, and mostly it is what the movie leaves out. You won't find long dialogs about morale and ethics, heroism in terms of "leave me behind I'm just slowing you down!" and then the obligatory "never I'd rather die!". There are also no long man on man fights. What do you do if a black belt attacks you? Well if it would bee any other movie, such a situation would develop into a 1 hour bare hands fight. But not here. Take your gun and shoot him. It is that simple. A very similar situation, the bad guy falls to the ground and loses his gun. Wait till he gets up? Continue the fight without weapons? Bah! You are standing, he is on the ground, you've got a gun, he hasn't. Shoot him! Not very honorable, but very fast and effective. After all he is there to get the girl not to win a karate tournament. At the end, The Mechanik is not your typical action flick. The hero is not as heroic as you would perhaps like to have him. He is not doing all this because it is the right thing, but because he wants to see blood. The Mechanik is a great action movie, just like in the good old times when action didn't try to bee anything else, but simply action. It is simple, violent, direct and pure as the best Russian vodka! A must see!

I saw this film for rent and although it's not the sort of film I'd usually go for, being a Dolph Lundgren movie, I was intrigued by the cool looking front cover. I read up some reviews, courtesy of IMDb, the only ones I could find. It did seem a popular movie.

Anyways I hired it and I must say the IMDb rating doesn't do this film justice. It is really a surprise because it has some great little moments in it. Also it packs a punch in the more violent scenes and doesn't hold back, and I mean I was really wincing in some moments.

It didn't occur to me until the film opened and credited Lundgren himself as director. He did a fantastic job and his portrayal of violence really hits home like my favorite director Mr Paul Verhoeven. Lundgren I know is someone critics always mock, like Schwarzenegger, but Lundgren really shows talent as a director. I will have to watch his other film the Defender. In regards to the acting, Lundgren also did a good job. Ben Cross is a good actor too and he does well in this film.

This is overall a quality piece, well worth watching.