The Mechanic (2011)

An elite hitman teaches his trade to an apprentice who has a connection to one of his previous victims.

Director:

Simon West

Writers:

Richard Wenk (screenplay), Lewis John Carlino (screenplay)

Stars:

Jason Statham, Ben Foster, Donald Sutherland

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jason Statham	...	Arthur Bishop
Ben Foster	...	Steve McKenna
Tony Goldwyn	...	Dean
Donald Sutherland	...	Harry McKenna
Jeff Chase	...	Burke
Mini Anden	...	Sarah
James Logan	...	Jorge Lara
Eddie J. Fernandez	...	Lara's Guard (as Eddie Fernandez)
Joshua Bridgewater	...	Car Jacker
John McConnell	...	Vaughn
Christa Campbell	...	Kelly
Joel Davis	...	Husband
Mark Nutter	...	Mr. Finch (as Mark Anthony Nutter)
Ardy Brent Carlson	...	Bell Hop
Lara Grice	...	Mrs. Finch

Storyline

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 Foster) approaches him with the same vengeful goal and a determination to learn Bishop's trade. Bishop has always acted alone but he can't turn his back on Harry's son. A methodical hit man takes an impulsive student deep into his world and a deadly partnership is born. But while in pursuit of their ultimate mark, deceptions threaten to surface and those hired to fix problems become problems themselves.

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Plot Keywords:

apprentice | assassin | mentor | disobeying orders | gas station | 

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Taglines:

Someone has to fix the problems.

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Genres:

Action | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong brutal violence throughout, language, some sexual content and nudity

Details

Official Sites:

CBS Films [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 January 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Mechanic

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,422,006, 30 January 2011

Gross USA:

$29,121,498

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$76,130,093

Company Credits

Production Co:

CBS Films, Millennium Films, Chartoff-Winkler Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shot over a period of 9 weeks.

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Goofs

After Arthur strangles the arms dealer and he sets the laptop to play an erotic clip, he touches the computer with his hands not wearing gloves, leaving his fingerprints on it, which would implicate him. They also both touch the door while leaving.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Arthur Bishop: What I do requires a certain mindset. I do assignments; designated targets. Some jobs need to look like accidents. Others must cast suspicion on someone else. A select few need to send a clear message. Pulling a trigger is easy. The best jobs are the ones nobody even knows you were there.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Gwyneth Paltrow/Cee Lo Green (2011)

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Soundtracks

SHAKE (YO MAMA)
Written by North Mississippi Allstars and James Mathus
Performed by North Mississippi Allstars
Published by North Mississippi Music (BMI); Shorty Brown Publishing (ASCAP)
Courtesy of ATO

User Reviews

He's the industry standard.

"Revenge holds the cup to the lips of another but drinks the dregs itself." Josh Billings

Don't waste your time cruising the internet for porn because if you see The Mechanic, you'll have all you need: violence as porn that is. Jason Statham stars as a "mechanic" or hit man caught in a tangle of deceit and revenge coming right down the line from his place of employment.

Statham,as Arthur Bishop, reprising the role of the granite Charles Bronson in 1972, is indisputably the star, even with partner pro-tem, Steve, being played by the very competent Ben Foster. Statham's scowl, punctuated by a slight smirk now and then, is the industry standard for good bad guy.

Early in his career I saw Statham in a café at Sunset Plaza in Hollywood; I knew immediately the Transporter—-scruffy beard, balding dome, and signature scowl.

The two hit men, not much like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (though when Statham and Foster jump from a building I couldn't help think of that romantic duo), are connected by the assassination of Steve's father (Donald Sutherland), who was also Bishop's mentor. After a series of barely connected set pieces of explosions and bullets, Steve is ready to deal with his dad's murderer, and Bishop is there to teach and corral the blood-thirsty avenger.

Although I enjoy Jason Statham's screen persona, with the lack of originality and a plot even I figured out early on, I am merely amused by this film's formulaic violence.