The Mechanic

THE MECHANIC (2011) - Feb. 4, 2011
A kind of mediocre but basically entertaining film about a hitman who begins training the son of his mentor (who he was tricked into killing).  Jason Statham gives an expectedly solid performance, and Ben Foster was good as his protege.  The film seems kind of sloppily written in parts (i.e. Statham discovering that he was played relies on a huge coincidence that feels pretty lazy, it seems like he could have easily found out the truth about his boss with one phone call, an action sequence involving a cult leader has absolutely no connection with the rest of the film, etc.).  Simon West's direction is fine, for the most part, but the action is a bit more shaky/quick-cutty than I'd like (it probably doesn't help that Hard-Boiled, one of the finest action films I've ever seen, is still pretty fresh in my mind).  Also, CGI blood is used extensively, and I continue to be mystified by its current pervasiveness -- it always looks awful.  Meh.  **1/2