Movie Review: The Mechanic

I must say, if you're familiar with Jason Statham and his previous films, then expect something of the same style in The Mechanic - and that's not entirely a bad thing, mind you.

Yes, the film wasn't very deep or complex by any means, but I must emphasize that the storyline was shockingly solid and satisfying. It did start off a bit slow as there was little action until about halfway through, but that sets up the story and characters quite nicely. There was a nice pacing of action and drama going on and the tone of the film was generally right.

It was also a bit of a shock that the script wasn't actually as cheesy as I thought. Everything was reasonable and it had a few surprisingly witty one liners, which again was a pleasant surprise. Who knew?

Of course, the action here didn't disappoint one bit. It was filled with mostly stylized and intense fight scene choreography, along with some car stunts and explosives. Everything were nicely shot and edited with some pretty neat scoring. There was nothing too over-the-top, which was refreshing, and it really managed to keep my eyes fixed to the screen.

Now, as for the cast, I thought everyone did fantastic. Ben Foster, I thought, was really something. He still had that psychotic look in his eyes from his previous works, but he really impressed me as a competent and, arguably, a charismatic action star - with his own unique edge. Jason Statham, on the other hand, was brilliant as the "tough guy with a heart". I thought he played the role effortlessly.

One minor quibble I had with the film was that some parts became a bit repetitive - especially the assassination bit - but that's already me nitpicking. So, whatever. 

Overall, the film had it's flaws like most action films, but the decent acting, solid story, incredible action scenes and good script with a few sharp one liners made this above the average. It's actually good enough to entertain you for roughly 85 minutes.