The Mechanic (2010)

So, as the title pretty much gives away, we’re looking at a remake of that 1972 action flick starring Charles Bronson and Jan-Michael Vincent. This time around, we get Jason Statham stepping in for Bronson, with a young Ben Foster taking over for Vincent. They’ve also got veteran actor Donald Sutherland joining the cast. The director is Simon West, a guy who mostly lived off those late '90s action blockbusters like "Con Air", "The General's Daughter", and "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider". Honestly, since "Lara Croft", he hasn't really landed anything notable—maybe that mediocre horror remake, "When a Stranger Calls". It feels like he's trying to claw his way back into the action genre with this one to reclaim some relevance.
Fun fact: Sylvester Stallone was actually the first choice for the lead, but since he was tied up with other stuff (cough, "The Expendables", cough), the producers went with Statham instead. The trailer that dropped recently promises plenty of hardcore action, but let's be real—it’s nothing we haven't seen before. It basically looks like every other Statham movie out there. If you live for mindless action or you're a die-hard Statham fan, you might enjoy it... everyone else? Probably not. Anyway, mark your calendars for December 15, 2010, because that's when this hits theaters.



IMDB

TRAILER

PLOT

IMDB trailer description: Jason Statham stands in for Charles Bronson in this remake of the 1972 action thriller of the same name, in which a veteran hitman teaches his trade to an apprentice who has a connection to one of his previous victims.

Anthony Smith3 said:TRAILER

Link's dead.

The Mechanic trailer 2010 promo Jason Statham Here's a fresh one.🙂

Anyway, this is definitely one of those movies I'm actually looking forward to... even if Statham isn't exactly the biggest superstar you'd pick to step into Bronson's shoes. Ben Foster is solid, though—if he shaved the beard, he’d have that pretty much blank slate look, kind of like a young Jan-Michael Vincent. The original was a classic, so let's just hope West didn't go overboard and mess it up with too much mindless action...

New poster just dropped...

They just dropped the official trailer today. The last one was just a teaser...

TRAILER 2

Some fresh shots...

American and British poster...

It simply doesn't get any better than the original

Check out this Jason Statham ride!🙏

I honestly don't get the appeal of movies like this. Sure, it might be a phenomenal piece of filmmaking, but let's be real—nobody is ever going to say it tops the original. It just feels unnecessary.

Thomas Lee83 said:Honestly, I don't get the point of these movies. Even if this one turns out to be great, nobody's going to say it beats the original. It's pointless.

So why even bother with remakes??🤷

Though... in this specific case, I gotta say that out of all the Brosnosov films (and I dig them almost as much as Clint's stuff), Mechanic might actually be his weakest. It has a few decent bits—like how he preps for hits by analyzing everything before pulling the trigger—but overall, it’s nothing special. A bit boring and drags on too long with some weird scenes (like when Steve's "girlfriend" slits her wrists and they just stand there staring at her). So, IMO, the remake might actually land better... but we'll see when it drops.
Personally, I prefer Brosnosov's Mr. Majestyk, Death Wish (plus the first two sequels), Hard Times (which might be his best, IMO), Breakheart Pass, The White Buffalo, Telephone, Death Hunt, and maybe a few others...
Just my two cents, though...

In this movie, I spotted a microphone on screen maybe seven times, and even then, it was only for a couple of seconds. Then there was one shot where a camera actually showed up for a full five seconds! I generally love Statham and his flicks because they’re packed with action and don't get bogged down in too much plot—they're perfect for just chilling out—but with this one, I guess I spent more time noticing the mics than actually following the story 😁

PS: Maybe I caught an unfinished cut or something, but who knows...

I finally caught this one a few nights ago and honestly, I really dug it.

It’s such a solid action flick. 👍

The pacing feels just right, the action sequences are totally killer, and Statham is doing his thing like he always does... seriously, everything about it was pretty much spot on.

Since I’m such a huge fan of Sylvester Stallone’s cold-blooded roles, this movie hit all the right notes for me. It’s like if the Transporter decided to stop just driving around and actually started taking people out... But seriously, it's incredibly well-made—none of that filler or watered-down, boring fluff you see in most modern action flicks...

It’s definitely worth your time...

William Myers7 said:I caught sight of a microphone for maybe two seconds total during the whole movie, and I spotted a camera for about five! Look, I’m a fan of Sylvester Stallone and his stuff—I love a good action flick where you don't have to overthink the plot just to be entertained. But with this one, I found myself staring at the technical glitches more than actually following the story. 😁

PS: Maybe I caught some rough cut or an unfinished version, who knows...

Maybe you were watching the director's cut for critics.

Chloe Sullivan26 said:Since I’m such a huge fan of Sylvester Stallone playing those cold-blooded, stone-faced characters, I found this movie to be absolutely stellar. It’s kind of like if you took the vibe of The Transporter but instead of just driving fast, he’s actually out there taking everyone down... But seriously, it's incredibly well-constructed; there aren't any of those tedious, watered-down, or unwatchable scenes that usually drag these types of films down...

I suppose it’s definitely worth your time to check out...

Signature.
10/10

There aren't any scenes you can skip, but man, some of them are just plain stupid 😁

For instance???

Like pro assassins leaving a trail of fingerprints everywhere, or that final explosion scene...
It’s an absolute blast to watch, truly cinematic! But even for a flick like this, they definitely went overboard with the ridiculousness.

Well, I suppose you have a point there; I found myself wondering about that very same thing while I was watching the film, though I must admit, the narrative never really offered us a clear explanation, especially regarding those specific killings involving the clergy and the gay characters.