Review: 'The Mechanic'

The resolute determination of the characters is the same, however, as is the update's lack of dialogue early in the film that finds the steely-eyed assassin conducting a flawless and entertaining hit on a Colombian drug lord.

After his South American exploits, the lone hit man returns to his secret hideaway in New Orleans that is accessible only by boat. There, secreted away from the world in his high-tech lair, he can indulge in his appreciation for Schubert and fine automobiles. But Arthur Bishop does not even seem to enjoy the trappings that his blood money has afforded him.

That lack of passion is reflected in the way he stoically executes the work he does for a shadowy organization, one that is never fully fleshed out by the writers. When he is called upon to eliminate his mentor, Harry McKenna (a solid and intriguing Donald Sutherland), we come to realize the complete lack of human connection felt by Bishop, whose stoicism is constantly reinforced by intense tight shots on Statham's stony visage.

But Bishop's unquestioning dutifulness collides with a scintilla of humanity as he stares plaintively (and repeatedly) at the water as a boozy blues chord encases him like a fog of regret. His only human connection comes from a prostitute (Mini Anden) - whose feline sexuality purrs across the screen just long enough to capture a spicy shot for the trailer - but that relationship and what it indicates about Bishop are never explored.

At Harry's grave, Bishop encounters Steve McKenna (Ben Foster), his mentor's ne'er-do-well son who is thirsty for revenge. True to his code, Bishop responds that "revenge is an emotion that can get you killed."

Nevertheless, Bishop, possibly out of guilt or a longing for connection, takes the erratic younger McKenna under his wing. A truncated training sequence that involves a few conversations and some manly gun play is apparently meant to be enough to convince audiences that Steve has acquired the requisite training to be a "mechanic" - a trained assassin who leaves no loose ends. This would follow the same logic that would have you believe that by spending a week bunking with Pele I could be transformed into a world-class goal scorer.

Believability aside, Foster - who gave a stirring performance in 2009's "The Messenger" - brings vitality and a level of acting ability that, in starts and fits, injects a pulse into the movie. The protégé's first hit - which he carries out with all of the composure of a feral rat - brings the movie its first and arguably best bit of violent action.

The cryptic organization is none too pleased with Bishop's new teacher-student relationship, and in their anger, it becomes clear that the once-lone killer had been misled into killing his mentor. As he and his new sidekick continue to take on missions that are punctuated with the brief bouts of violence that would compel you to buy a ticket, Bishop is saddled with the duty of keeping the truth from his symbolic kid-brother while avoiding the menace of the duplicitous agency that now seems determined to destroy him.

Sound confusing? It is. But more as a result of failure than any clever design.

When you bring Statham onto a project, one would assume you want him in full-scale butt-kicking glory with a side of wry winking, but director Simon West (who has shown more than a little capacity for high-octane nonsense in "Con Air" and "Laura Croft: Tomb Raider") never completely uses the star. The action sequences are too far and few between, and by the time the biggest explosions come, you couldn't care less.

The disjointed movie crawls early and never finds its footing. You reluctantly stay with the tale that feels weighted by the hand of multiple writers in hopes that Statham will eventually explode, but "The Mechanic" ends up feeling less like a slow burn than an airboat with a broken fan, drifting across a slightly choppy marsh.

"The Mechanic"

Our grade: D+

Genres: Thriller, Action

Running Time: 92 min

MPAA rating: R

Release Date: Jan 28, 2011