PLOT: Years after having faked his death, professional assassin Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) is blackmailed out of retirement when the woman he loves (Jessica Alba) is kidnapped. If he wants her back, he’ll have to perform three impossible executions and make them look like accidents – something which just so happens to be his specialty.
REVIEW: I’m not really sure why MECHANIC: RESURRECTION didn’t screen for the press. I mean, after all, it’s a Jason Statham punch-up movie. What do they think critics will expect? At the end of the day, you can only really compare this sequel to other Statham movies, with the CRANK films, THE BANK JOB, SAFE and the original MECHANIC coming out on the high end, while entries like PARKER and HOMEFRONT come out on the lower end.
In this regard, MECHANIC: RESURRECTION comes out somewhere in the middle. While not as good as the original (in fact, Bishop is so different here it barely feels like a sequel and seems more like a TRANSPORTER movie or a remake of KILLER ELITE to which the premise is nearly identical), which itself was only ok, the movie does have a few things going for it, namely good scenery (with shooting done in Thailand, Brazil, Australia, Malaysia, and Bulgaria), a fast pace, some good kills and Statham himself, who’s obviously not letting the fact that he’s pushing fifty slow him down.
It’s actually been awhile since Statham’s last solo action flick, with him having mostly been a supporting guy in A-fare like SPY and FURIOUS 7. It’s too bad the flair for comedy he showed in SPY isn’t really exploited, with him back in quiet, killing-machine mode. Then again, people go to Statham movies for a body count and in that regard this R-rated actioner doesn’t disappoint, with the opening credits barely over by the time he burns half a bad guy’s face off on a grill. There’s punch ups and shoot-outs galore, although the action is mostly small scale with tell-tale third-rate CGI suggesting the budget was limited this time out.
Even still, MECHANIC: RESURRECTION surrounds Statham with a good cast, although one needs to question the rationale of casting Michelle Yeoh opposite Statham and then not having her do any fighting at all (she doesn’t even throw a punch). Jessica Alba is appealing as Statham’s doe-eyed love interest, who we learn runs a shelter for children in Cambodia (but looks like she also finds plenty of gym time as well – with generous shots of her amazing bikini body). While mostly window dressing, the early bits where her and Statham fall in love actually let him cut loose a bit and even smile, which is nice to see as probably the closest Statham had to a love interest up to now is Tyrese in DEATH RACE.
While prominently billed, Tommy Lee Jones is entirely absent from MECHANIC: RESURRECTION until the last act, with him being a misunderstood arms dealer who winds-up on Statham’s hit list. Sporting a soul patch and an earring, Jones has fun with his limited part and seems a whole lot more engaged than he did in his other recent Millennium Films actioner, CRIMINAL. In a way he seems to be evoking his famous villain part in UNDER SIEGE and it’s nice to see Jones cut loose with the smack talk a bit – although again he only has maybe ten minutes of screen time.
In the end, a review for something like MECHANIC: RESURRECTION is pointless as if you’re a Statham fan you’re already planning on seeing this and there’s nothing I can write here that will dissuade you. It’s actually a perfectly serviceable little action flick. It’s not going to be the one that will finally allow Statham to branch-out from B-movies, but it’s pleasing in that it plays to his fanbase and doesn’t take itself too seriously.