Ever
wondered about the cost of replacing dead henchmen? Presumably, some sort of
settlement must be provided to the next of kin. Plus, it would be awkward
interviewing replacements: “Can you tell me why my predecessor wanted to leave
your shadowy organization?” “He didn’t want to. He was impaled with a harpoon
and pulled through shark-infested waters.” “Well, that’s fine then.” There are many,
many occasions for such speculation when Jason Statham cuts down minor
accomplices like Judge Judy slicing through weak excuses in Dennis Gansel’s Mechanic: Resurrection (trailer here), which is now
playing in New York.
The
ninety-three minutes of Mechanic 1 basically
boil down to Arthur Bishop was a mob assassin, specializing in hits that look
like natural causes, who faked his own death. He is now living the good incognito
life in Rio, until he is tracked down by representatives of Riah Crain, an
international arms dealer. Bishop knows Crain only too well, so he wants no
part of the three hit jobs he is offered. Not to be deterred, Crain’s people
force the innocent Gina Thorne to act as bait in the honey trap they intend to
set for Bishop. Of course, he sees through their clumsy scheme, but he still
falls for Thorne, so they just kidnap her back to force Bishop to do their
bidding.
As
we would expect, each target is ridiculously inaccessible, forcing Bishop to
take extreme measures (as seen on the one-sheet). However, his third target,
Max Adams the Bulgarian-based arms dealer to underdogs and lost causes might be
a sleaze ball he can forge an alliance with.
So
yeah, you basically know what you are getting here. It is more or less on par
with most Jason Statham action movies (better than some, not as good as
others). The only real disappointment is Michelle Yeoh does not have a fighting
role. Instead, she just glides in periodically as Mae, Bishop’s old pal and the
hostess with the mostess of his favorite Thai scuba resort.
Frankly,
the real weak link here is Jessica Alba, who as Thorne, mostly just bites her
lip and acts passive. In contrast, Thai star Yayaying Rhatha Phongam
(recognizable from Only God Forgives)
shines in her action scene as Crain’s courier (her role definitely should have
been expanded). Sam Hazeldine is just okay as Crain, but Tommy Lee Jones
absolutely devours the scenery as crafty old Adams.
