THE MECHANIC

  

The Mechanic is a remake of the 1972 cult classic starring the late Charles Bronson and Jan-Michael Vincent. The flick stars action star Jason Statham in the Bronson role as a hit man called a "mechanic" who is forced to kill his wheelchair-bound elderly mentor (played by Donald Sutherland). After the hit, Statham's character takes his murdered mentor's hotheaded son--played by Ben Foster in the Vincent role--under his wing to teach him how to be a "mechanic" just like him and his late father. When they learn how Foster's character's father was set up, they both go after the higher-ups that had him set up. Unlike some of Statham's other movies (like, for instance, the earlier-reviewed The Transporter), this isn't what one would call a hardcore martial arts film, though there is a couple of fight scenes with Statham. The ending kind of resembles the ending of the original Mechanic, though there is a slight twist (and, of course, you'll just have to watch the flick to know what "twist" I'm referring to, OK?). So is the remake better than the original (and vice versa?)? While I have my opinion on the matter (I'll give a hint: I'm a huge Charles Bronson fan), you'll just have to make that call for yourselves, OK?