Quartile rating: 7/10 · 2 ratings
Arthur Bishop is a 'mechanic' - an elite assassin with a strict code requiring professional perfection and total detachment. One of an elite group of assassins, Bishop may be the best in the business - with a unique talent for cleanly eliminating targets. When Harry McKenna, his close friend and mentor, is murdered, Harry's son comes to him with vengeance in his heart and a desire to learn Bishop's trade, signaling the birth of a deadly partnership.
The Mechanic (2011) is a competent but unremarkable remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson film. The plot is serviceable action-thriller fare — a mentor's murder, a vengeful protégé, a deadly partnership — but offers little surprise or depth, hitting familiar beats without much subversion. Jason Statham does what he does reliably well, and Ben Foster brings genuine energy to the protégé role, lifting the acting above genre average. Cinematography is slick and professional but not distinctive — adequately staged action without memorable visual craft. Novelty is low; it's a remake of an existing property with a by-the-numbers execution, recycling the mentor-protégé revenge dynamic without a fresh angle. The ending delivers a reasonable payoff with a twist that adds some tension, slightly above average for the genre.