I never imagined that I would be nostalgic for a Charles Bronson movie made in the seventies, but after watching The Mechanic with Jason Statham, I kind of am. It has nothing to do with Jason Statham, I love this guy and think he makes an excellent Mechanic. He’s already proven himself with a similar role in the Transporter series. I think the disconnect for me is in the Bishop-McKenna relationship. In the 2011 version of The Mechanic, Steve McKenna is played by Ben Foster and he portrays Steve as a brooding loose canon. Arthur Bishop is supposed to be a precisionist who is drawn to fine things and who is meticulous with every detail in his life. I found it difficult to believe that he would put up with this self-destructive, shortsighted young man, even if he had the need to connect with another human being.
Now it’s hard to remember nearly forty years ago to how I felt about the original Mechanic, but I remember having a huge crush on Jan Michael Vincent and I also remember being very disturbed by Death Wish, which is the Charles Bronson movie that followed The Mechanic. That type of extreme violence was new to the movies then and at 14 years old it made quite an impression. To draw us away from our television sets in the seventies, the movies were getting more and more graphic in order to provide us with something that we couldn’t get on our television screens. Today, unfortunately, we are not safe anywhere.
As a remake I think that The Mechanic holds up, but I found the ending far less satisfying. I recall being blown away and titillated by the original. Maybe it was due to my age back then or maybe they just handled it better, I’m not sure. But I definitely preferred the Jan Michael Vincent interpretation of Steve. Ben Foster’s Steve lacked the self-control to be a contract killer. I think that Jan Michael Vincent’s narcissistic Steve was a much better choice. I also believe that the slower pace of the original film gave us more time to get to know Bishop and to watch their relationship grow. Bishop was considered very cool to a 1970’s teenager. As an adult now I see so much more.
Rating: Second Run A worthy successor to the Charles Bronson film
About Me
- Melanie Wilson
- My Reviewer's Philosophy: I believe that every film has its audience. One man’s Citizen Kane is another man’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre. My purpose is to help you spend your entertainment dollars wisely. A bad review never kept me from going to a film I wanted to see, but a good review will sometimes get me to a film I never considered. As a movie lover I want you to go to the movies. When more people go to the movies, the more movies get made. But, I also believe that if you enjoy the films you see, you naturally will be inclined to go more often. So join me in supporting our film industry by going to a movie today. Hopefully I can steer you towards a good one. See you at the movies. Melanie Wilson
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