The Mechanic: A Guilty Pleasure Action Flick
Sometimes, all you crave is a film that demands nothing but your attention – a cinematic palate cleanser. Jason Statham’s movies often scratch that itch perfectly. While his films consistently showcase a macho, hard-hitting persona, they’ve also somewhat pigeonholed him, perhaps explaining the lack of awards recognition. Nevertheless, his contributions to the genre are undeniable
The Mechanic, released 13 years ago, is a prime example of his signature hard-man style. Directed by Simon West, known for blockbusters like The Expendables 2 and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, it delivers precisely what you’d anticipate – explosive action, intense fight sequences, and a healthy dose of Statham’s stoic charisma.
It’s interesting to ponder the relative scarcity of similar figures in domestic cinema. Even Wu Jing, while a martial arts powerhouse, is arguably more squarely associated with action spectacles. South Korea, on the other hand, boasts figures like Ma Dong-seok, also known as Don Lee, with his own distinct action stylings.
These movies are akin to crispy, golden friend chicken: while not particularly nutritious cinema, they’re undeniably delicious, satisfying, and enjoyable – the cinematic equivalent of a guilty pleasure read. Some times we just feel like enjoying them withour thinking too much, which brings us relaxion, and a moment of stress relief
Arthur: The Cold-Blooded Assassin
Statham embodies Arthur, a meticulous, cold-blooded assassin. He isn’t your run-of-the-mill killer; he stages assassinations to appear as accidents, showcasing a disturbingly methodical approach. The film kicks off with Arthur eliminating a drug lord, artfully manipulating the scene to resemble a drowning.
Having successfully executed such a high-profile hit, the question looms large: who’s next on Arthur’s deadly list?
Two figures immediately come to mind, Harry, his mentor, now an elderly man confined to a wheelchair, and Dean, the enigmatic boss of the company Harry works for. Dean seems positioned higher in the organization’s hierarchy, apparently issuing tasks to Harry. In essence, Harry’s company acts as a contractor for Dean, with Arthur operating as Harry’s contracted assassin.
Soon after the drug lord assassination, Arthur meets independently with both Harry and Dean. It’s during this time that Dean assigns Arthur the grim task of eliminating Harry, accusing him of betraying the organization.
Dean alleges that previous assassination attempts in Cape Town, South Africa, went awry due to Harry’s compromised status, presenting Arthur with evidence – records indicating Harry received $20 million and photographs of the five slain assassins, one of whom Arthur recognizes.
Arthur inquires as to why he’s been chosen for this morally ambiguous assignment.
Dean responds that Arthur is uniquely positioned for the job, given their close working relationship. He grants Arthur two days to deliberate, threatening to assign the task to someone else should he decline.
Without delay, Arthur contacts Harry, urging him to escape and guiding him along a safe route. However, upon arriving at the garage, Harry finds the car door ajar, riddled with bullet holes shattering the glass.
Arthur lurks in the shadows. Harry instantly comprehends the setup, deducing that Arthur has bypassed his formidable security measures.
The seasoned veteran, displaying remarkable composure, retrieves a firearm and fires several rounds into his own car, complicating Arthur’s potential fabrication of an accident.
Instead of retaliating, he presents the gun to Arthur.
Harry acknowledges why IArhur is there. Arthur asks why he didn’t attempt to eliminate Arthur. Harry offers a poignant explanation, asserting that killing him wouldn’t thwart the arrival of others to take his position.
Despite a flicker of hope that Arthur might spare Harry out of loyalty, redirecting the narrative, Arthur wordlessly shoots him.
Throughout the remainder of the film, I couldn’t help but expect Harry’s dramatic reappearance, shielded away by Arthur, the death merely an elaborate ruse.
Training the Apprentice: A Deadly Education
Harry has a son named Steve, wrestling with addiction and harboring a strained relationship with his father. Despite Harry’s neglect in providing formal training, Steve believes he possesses the aptitude to become a highly skilled “mechanic” – a top-tier assassin.
Driven by vengeance, he seeks out his father’s killer and implores Arthur to mentor him.
Arthur grudgingly agrees, imparting expertise ranging from marksmanship to toxicology, demonstrating the meticulous execution of the perfect murder.
Following a rigorous training period, Arthur takes him on a live mission. Arthur strangles their target while Steve experiences the visceral reality of murder for the first time
Arthur assigns him a daunting task: seduce a muscular assassin at a bar, then employ poison to induce a simulated heart attack.
As he primes to administer the poison, Steve hesitates and decides to display his eefficiency compared to Arthur for recognition. He follows the man to his residencem where he attempts ambush. However, the man proves exceptionally strong, initiating a brutal altercation. and sustaining injuries.
Subsequently, they aim at a cult ringleader, the mission starts off smoothly before Steve exposes them. This prompts them to engage the location in gunfire just so they can make it out,
The Plan is compromised
The planned execution of their hit had a big bump.
Needing to leave the area as soon as humanly feasible, Steve would meet Arthur at a different place.
Sizziling the man during conversation, Arthur later realizes that Dean decieved so that Aruthur would fulfill the plan of taking out those people responsible. This resulted in Harry giving up sensitive information of the operation leading to them hunting Harry down and hiring Arthur to do so.
Driven up the wall by it, Arthur kills him and decides to come after Dean so he could set things straight.
Revenge and Betrayal: Twists and Turns
The narrative direction could have diverted down an alternative path.
Dean could have divulged to Steve that Arthur was his father’s killer, setting the stage for a climactic confrontation. Subsequently, Steve could have discerned Dean was the orchestrator or both events, the team could team up leading up to a final confrontation.
The film chooses a different course.
Steve unquestioningly follows Arthur’s directives, but the hidden truth behind what the next turn can be. As he packs his belongings, discovering Harry’s gun, a realization is brought to the reality that he has had it all along as Arthur killed him.
After the events, they drive off. In the heat after everything that happened, Steve leaves to grab something to drink and sees Harry’s gun on Steve’swaist.
At the gas station, Steve deliberatley leaves the gas hose plugged close to the car. and ignites the fumes once the car had enough gasoline to spill and burst fire, in hopes of killing Arthur too
The conclusion
The film could point to there; Steve seeks vengeance for his father in hopes that the problem will be all said and done once he gets what he wants.
The final portion gives a change of the narrative,
Steve gets to Arthur"s digs, going directly to the music player and plays the untouchable record . The player contains and hidden trip wire that blows everything and sets it all apart.
The camera shows Arthur on leaving the car once Steve decided to shoot it. He was never harmed at all due to calculating from the start.
Seeing the events that played, Arthur took the mantle and played Harry including his kin. Arthur was fully aware of Harry ignoring the command that both places contained sensitive things, things could have potentially been resolved for the better. With it this leaves Harry feeling infuriated by all of it and how It all played out for the worst
I did not predict how it would transpire.