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Men In Black 3

It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.

Bel Ami

The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.

The Dictator

A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.

The Woman In Black

Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.

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The Mechanic (Film)

by Matthew Pejkovic | March 21, 2011 14:46 | Edited March 21, 2011 15:47

Jason Statham and Ben Foster have terrific chemistry and while there’s plenty of gratuitous violence, the action strangely fails to excite.

It has become apparent that Jason Statham is the long overdue answer to Sly and Arnie that we have been waiting for, and like those action titans bad movies are a part of the package. 

 

The Mechanic is the latest dud starring the British hard man. A remake of the Charles Bronson ‘classic' of the same name, Statham stars as Arthur Bishop, an assassin whose expertise in the game of death has him on top of his profession.

 

When his latest job sees him kill off his traitor boss and father figure, Harry (Donald Sutherland), the usually neutral Bishop takes on Harry's estranged, wild card son Steve (Ben Foster) as a protégé.  

 

Threaded throughout is the usual action mumbo jumbo about loyalty and redemption, but it is action that the punters came to see and very violent action is what they get, as lewd targets are disposed of usually by head shot, with brain splatter a favourite here.

 

While violence is prominent, excitement is not, with director Simon West (Con Air) failing to get pulses racing. Problem here is the nature of these characters, as the need for precision in their craft dictates a film that is much too tight in structure and too introverted in emotion, creating a dull movie going experience where even brief hardcore sexploitation fails to get the blood pumping.

 

What does work is the coupling of Statham and Foster, as their different screen personas clash, with often electric results. Foster is especially a treat, with his jerky, hot tempered mannerisms just the right counter to Statham's hard as nails action man personality, which for some reason is without his patented low level humour this time out.

 

In the end, The Mechanic proves that while revenge is a dish best served cold, revenge movies are best served with fire in the belly.