The Mechanic: Critic Reviews

The Mechanic is ham-fisted pulp, like Robert Rodriguez's Machete taking itself seriously.

A sputtering remake in need of a more powerful recharge.

An efficient thriller with certain intellectual pretensions.

Over the past decade or so, Jason Statham has morphed from French Connection clothes-horse to Brit-pic also-ran to international action hero - and after sitting through The Mechanic I can semi-see why.

The first legitimate action film of 2011.

"The Mechanic," 2011 edition, is a striking-looking work, combining an arty inkiness with a retro-graininess that more or less screams 1970s, albeit without the cliches and flatness. If only you liked the people in the picture.

An intermittently arresting, mostly standard action entry that deals death noisily more than cleverly - a lot like the original.

Mr. Statham, the specialist in English tough guys who was so affecting in "The Bank Job," has more to offer than "The Mechanic" has the grace to receive.

The Mechanic is my kind of action movie: nasty, brutish, brisk and ass-kicking.

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 Mechanic" tells a story as old as "Hamlet" in a style as new as unbaked bread. What's the point?

Let's not denigrate the term "action film" by applying it to the remake signed by director Simon West. This is a violence film, not an action film.

While that pop mythology was still relatively fresh back in Bronson's day, it's so played out at this point that not even the enjoyably no-nonsense Statham can pump any life into it.

It's about gunplay and pricey sports cars bursting into flames while three or four cameras capture the moment. In slo-mo. Cue the cool music.

Jason Statham needs to get a tune-up, switch gears and hit the gas.

Statham is, in his understated way, a satisfying action star, stoically going about his business. Foster is just a flat-out good actor, as anyone who saw his work in "The Messenger" or "3:10 to Yuma" can attest.

The Mechanic is like a Beretta loaded with blanks -- quick and brutal but ultimately empty.

It proves middling, and occasionally muddled, on almost every level.

Considerably more fun than the rather lethargic original.

It's a modestly effective but jaw-droppingly violent picture, one that begins with promise but weasels its way into unlike-ability.

Standard Statham stuff.

There just isn't enough consistent energy to light up the glum, generic plot or enliven the one-dimensional performances.

The Arthur/Steve relationship at the movie's heart is what lifts The Mechanic above the common run of kablammo! action thrillers.

The Mechanic is adequate light entertainment for those who enjoy thrillers, but it is uneven and the underwhelming ending will disappoint those who enjoyed the delicious irony served up by its predecessor.

Frantic, numbing redo of the Charles Bronson original for hardcore Statham and action fans only.