Rashid Irani's review: The Mechanic

He has directed several action blockbusters over the years. Collaborating for the first time with Jason Statham, the go-to kick-butt star of the current generation, UK-born filmmaker Simon West (Con Air, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) is once again hell-bent on knocking the viewer into a state of submission.

Fixes viewer into submission

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The Mechanic
Direction: Simon West
Cast: Jason Statham, Ben Foster
Rating: ***

He has directed several action blockbusters over the years. Collaborating for the first time with Jason Statham, the go-to kick-butt star of the current generation, UK-born filmmaker Simon West (Con Air, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) is once again hell-bent on knocking the viewer into a state of submission.

A loose remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson thriller of the same name, the title refers to a taciturn hit-man (Statham) who carries out his assignments with deadly precision.

After his latest job, the contract killer reluctantly takes on the victim's hot-headed son (Foster, appropriately hyper) as his apprentice. Of course, he conveniently neglects to mention that it was he who killed the young man's wheelchair-bound father (old-timer Donald Sutherland).

Desperately seeking vengeance, the duo is now determined to track down the double-crossing baddie (Tony Goldwyn) responsible for their dire dilemma.

Sustaining a sufficient level of tension throughout, The Mechanic advances the narrative through gun-shots, strangulations and effects-laden explosions of every conceivable kind.

At the same time, the relationship between the twitchy upstart and his mentor is delineated with warmth and conviction. Intriguingly, the cold-blooded assassin unwinds by listening to Schubert on his turntable between killings.