The Mechanic (2011)
Average Rating: 5.6/10
Reviews Counted: 155
Fresh: 82 | Rotten: 73
Jason Statham and Ben Foster turn in enjoyable performances, but this superficial remake betrays them with mind-numbing violence and action thriller cliches.
Average Rating: 5.5/10
Critic Reviews: 34
Fresh: 11 | Rotten: 23
Jason Statham and Ben Foster turn in enjoyable performances, but this superficial remake betrays them with mind-numbing violence and action thriller cliches.
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Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 55,377
My Rating
Movie Info
Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) is a 'mechanic' - an elite assassin with a strict code and unique talent for cleanly eliminating targets. It's a job that requires professional perfection and total detachment, and Bishop is the best in the business. But when his mentor and close friend Harry (Donald Sutherland) is murdered, Bishop is anything but detached. His next assignment is self-imposed - he wants those responsible dead.
His mission grows complicated when Harry's son Steve (Ben
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Cast
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Jason Statham
Arthur Bishop -
Ben Foster
Steve, Steve McKenna -
Tony Goldwyn
Dean Sanderson -
Donald Sutherland
Harry, Harry McKenna -
Jeff Chase
Burke -
Mini Anden
Sarah -
James Logan
Jorge Lara -
Eddie Fernandez
Lara's Guard -
Joshua Bridgewater
Car Jacker -
John "Spud" McConnell
Vaughn -
Christa Campbell
Kelly -
Joel Davis
Husband -
Mark Anthony Nutter
Mr. Finch -
Ardy Brent Carlson
Bell Hop -
Lara Grice
Mrs. Finch -
Lance E. Nichols
Henry -
J.D. Evermore
Gun Runner -
Ada Michelle Loridans
Finch's Daughter -
Linzzi Zaorski
Jazz Club Singer -
Dawn Neufeld
News Reporter #1 -
Molly Rosenblatt
News Reporter #2 -
Bill Scharpf
Dean's Driver -
John Teague
Ney -
David Leitch
Sebastian -
Jennifer Ortega
Lara's Girl #1 -
LaTeace Towns-Cuellar
Lara's Girl #2 -
Paul Abraham
Shuttle Driver -
David Dahlgren
Dr. X -
Stuart Greer
Ralph -
Kasia Wolejnio
Maria -
Larrel France
Vaughn's Intern -
Danny Cosmo Higginbottom
Peasant -
Derek Schreck
Security Guard -
Choop Hunyup
"Arthur" the Dog -
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The Mechanic Trailer & Photos
All Critics (156) | Top Critics (34) | Fresh (83) | Rotten (73) | DVD (5)
Statham, he of the chiseled physique and sexily receding hairline, holds his own here, doing what he has to in scenes and no more -- which is perfect for a movie like this.
Top CriticThe Mechanic is like a Beretta loaded with blanks -- quick and brutal but ultimately empty.
Clinging to false heroism and terrified of anything too dark, The Mechanic is a tough-guy movie for wimps.
Statham is a model of control; he's steely and graceful in his action scenes, and his interplay with the wiry Foster delivers the goods.
The new stunts are explosive, over-the-top and a sign of the times -- action fans aren't happy these days, it seems, unless at least one scene involves a jackknifing 18-wheeler and a fireball.
Betrayal, sympathy and regret are central to the story, but there's hardly any room for such feelings amid the clockwork carnage.
Somewhat faithful to the original, but a stupendously violent fiasco that weasels its way into being unlikable.
[Simon West] goes for headshots, stabbings and other dispatches that are the antithesis of modern PG-13 action filmmaking.
If you're looking for substance, character development, and an engaging storyline, you'll sadly be disappointed as this film is seriously lacking in all three of those areas.
Statham has slowly become this generations' Bruce Willis, combining a quiet and sly screen persona with the ability to kick major ass when called upon
The Mechanic will be a decent time-killer for Statham fans, but it's another black mark against the name of director Simon West.
... a minor pleasure to see an action film that makes a virtue of lean, mean action stripped to the essence.
A passable, but emotionally empty, action film that fails to capitalize on its interesting characters.
Jason Statham is quickly becoming the 21st century's Bruce Willis -- I am convinced that when the apocalypse comes, the only things left surviving on the planet will be cockroaches and this Derbyshire-born bloke.
It never pretends like it's going to be anything more or better than what you expect, and it never gives you anything less than totally entertaining gun blasting, car crashing and face smashing. Lots of it.
In the end, The Mechanic proves that while revenge is a dish best served cold, revenge movies are best served with fire in the belly.
If you enjoy senseless and creative slaughter, the sound of gunfire, the sweet embrace of explosions and the well-muscled-testicle-like visage of Jason Statham, then this movie may well be for you.
Statham has my respect for two reasons: 1) he's one of the few remaining action stars who isn't claiming his pension, and 2) he has yet to star in a Disney movie in which he must babysit projectile-vomiting children.
Statham convincingly breaks faces with effortless ease. It's as if he studied at The Lee Strasberg Institute of Badassery. He is the Stanislavski of neck-stomping.
Some slack was needed for hard edged thriller The Mechanic to truly blossom into a thing of brutal beauty, rather than the cold action film presented before us.
It's a boys' movie with a big bang finish
The assassin gets a conscience in this fast-paced action thriller that offers a few interesting twists between its huge stunts,"
Audience Reviews for The Mechanic
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
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- Dean Sanderson: I'm going to put a price on your head so big, that when you look in the mirror your reflection's gonna want to shoot you in the face.
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- Arthur Bishop: Good judgment comes from experience, experience comes from bad judgment.
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Latest News on The Mechanic
November 1, 2012:
Expendables 3 and Mechanic 2 Officially AnnouncedAction fans will not be left wanting.
May 17, 2011:
RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: The Mechanic and ESPN's 30 for 30This week on home video, we've got a decent number of new releases, as well as some noteworthy...
February 11, 2011:
Jason Statham Approaches Simon Crane's EchelonAccording to Deadline's sources, Jason Statham is close to stepping in for Eric Bana in Simon...
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Foreign Titles
- Le Flingueur (FR)
