Le flingueur

An assassin's abilities are tested when he takes on an apprentice, but things get complicated when he finds he's been used on his last job.

Entertaining assassin/mentor yarn which tries to avoid clichés. Donald Sutherland puts in a welcomed cameo but is missed throughout the rest of the film. Jason Statham is hit man Arthur Bishop, while he can do these roles action roles blind folded Statham is subtler and more complex than most previous parts he's played. Ben Foster gives a hard hitting performance giving an edginess and weight to the character of Steve McKenna and corporate bad guy Tony Goldwyn is notable.

Some logic aside the Mechanic stands head and shoulders above the mass of recent cheap and big budget flicks due to it's 1973 source material, smart writing and Simon West's gritty direction. The wonderful locations give it an air of realism and the soundtrack complements the setups.   

With some thought out character development, twists and well executed action scenes it's a pleasing above average hit-man thriller.

I am one of the original Jason Statham fans. I loved the Transporter, Crank and his collaborations with Guy Ritchie like Revolver and even tolerated some of his less glorious efforts such as Death Race.

For me what makes his movies so enjoyable is the tongue in cheek humour and the likable side of the tough guy. We all know he's not a great actor but the lovable rogue is his trademark and that's why we keep going back for more.

"The Mechanic" is about a ruthless hit man and it gives Statham no opportunity to smile or engage in banter, nor make us laugh. It's a non- stop action film with a few goofs and a script with holes big enough to drive a bus through. Normally I would forgive and forget, because I like him, but he didn't make me laugh nor make me wish I could be like him this time.

There were no characters to like in this film, but there was plenty of action which makes it instantly forgettable. I know you want to read the movie was great but I wouldn't be honest if I pretended it was. Worth watching but don't expect another Transporter.

This was different than what I was expecting especially in the beginning where it wasn't your usual mindless Jason Statham action flick. For the first half (anyways) the car chases and cool choreographed fight scenes take a back seat, in fact there are large sections where Statham isn't even in it, he just narrates. Instead we get Ben Foster, which is no hardship.

Intriguing story once I got on board, revolving around an elite assassin who gets double crossed and then proceeds to teach his trade to an apprentice who had a connection to one of his previous victims. As things progress the body count rises, Statham shows his moves and things get awesome. The window washing stunt was excellent as was all the twisty double crossing. Great (explosive) ending. 5/24/14

Some things may not make sense and the storytelling may feel extremely fast paced, but you know what, in those moments where 'The Mechanic' promised to entertain you, it does it at its best. And don't get me wrong, cause I'm not a Statham's fan. I didn't like 'The transporter' cause the acting (especially the bad guy) was way too unreal. I didn't like 'Crank' either cause the directing was really bad. 'The Mechanic' is not a movie focused on the story but on the action, and that's where it shines. The action scenes are really sublime and they don't stop until the last minute. Actors also fit in an interesting story. Again, the director chose not to develop the story but to give an explosive experience, and I believe he achieved it. Don't look for a deep experience here and you won't be disappointed.

Hired smooth stylish hitman with a cold calculated demeanour that is all about the business. Until a chain of events lead him down the wrong path unable to turn back time.

Ends up meeting an associates son. Who eventually wants in on the trade to learn.

Eventually business continues with a few hiccups, yet other issues arise... Chilled, thought provoking style movie to like.