Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) is an elite hitman or he likes to call himself a mechanic. A man who does the job without question and at the end of the day it is all about the business. When the man behind his assignments plays him for a fool and makes him kill his friend and mentor Harry McKenna (Michael Sutherland) Arthur is left with no choice but to seek vengeance on those responsible of double crossing him. Along with Steve (Ben Foster), Harry’s son, Arthur is on a killing spree with one goal in mind and nothing will stop him.
Normally when I think about a movie starring Jason Statham I think about over the top action, high flying stunts, and unbelievable situations. In a nutshell that’s almost a perfect description of his movies. However, The Mechanic seems to take a different route from what we are accustomed over the years from Statham. The film had plenty of action and in that department there’s absolutely no complaints. The film is as entertaining as you can wish an action thriller to be. There are some gorgeous shots throughout and plenty of very good action sequences, something that Statham is very good at.
Don’t expect the movie to be anything different or something with deep meaning because then you’ll just be wasting your time. The mixture of Statham and Foster is excellent. Both actors get along very well, Statham as the lead kicking behind and Foster as a backup is a perfect mixture. As usual with these types of movies, they are very predictable and can tell what is coming next a mile away. However, there was a slight attempt at a story arch, with Steve’s most dysfunctional life and sense of avenging his dead father. Most viewers will probably be able to tell the outcome of the film in the first 30 minutes. It’s not like you just can’t see it coming though, if you are a lover of action films this is something you’ll be enjoying.
The Mechanic arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p MPEG4-AVC encode framed at 2.40:1. Colors are bright and vivid in a very pristine and clear image. The color palette has a golden tint in the image that also causes some warmth in the image. Skintones are natural, but a bit warm. Black levels are excellently reproduced. Detailing is very impressive with close up shots being very revealing, structures, structures, and surroundings just come to live with how detailed it is. Overall, The Mechanic looks excellent on Blu-ray.
The Mechanic arrives on Blu-ray with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio lossless track. Dialogue reproduction is clean and clear and never becomes overwhelmed with the action. The surrounds handle the some atmospheric and ambient effects. Directionality is great with the fronts being able to reproduce the audio with accuracy. The bass is constantly in used and it is very balanced providing enough support for the most intense gun shooting and explosions. The Mechanic sounds great on Blu-ray.
Tools of the Trade: Inside the Action – Filmmakers and actors talk about filming the films, stunts, shooting locations, etc.
Deleted and Extended Scenes
movieIQ
BD-Live Functionality
The Mechanic isn’t going to bend back a genre that has slipped in the past few years with films that just simply not up to par. The Mechanic does offer plenty of action sequences that are just simply entertaining and Jason Statham continues to offer some great action roles. The Blu-ray looks and sounds fantastic; too bad there aren’t many supplements. If you like action films then this should be an easy buy.
