[Review] Mechanic: Resurrection

First off, this movie is terrible. However, there's still quite a bit to enjoy about it. If that doesn't make sense, well, that's because nothing in Mechanic: Resurrection really makes sense. But if you want to see Jason Statham slam a guy's face into a flaming hot grill and then leap onto a passing hang-glider from a sky ride, then this is for you... as long as you can nap through all the painfully underwhelming parts.

A few years after the events of 2011's The Mechanic, Jason Statham returns as the cold-blooded, globetrotting assassin. This time around, he needs to save the love of his life (Jessica Alba, in utter damsel in distress mode). He's also tasked with taking out several more corrupt villains that he must frame as accidents, one of which includes an eccentric arms dealer played by Tommy Lee Jones.

Tommy Lee Jones' aesthetic of loud patterns, flamboyant shades, and a notably aggressive soul patch might be worth the price of admission alone. That said, the dialogue here is so stilted that it'd probably be better if this were a silent film. The extended non-action scenes where Jason Statham isn't busy murking somebody are a complete bore. (Statham doesn't seem too thrilled by them either.)

Jason Statham and Jessica Alba's lack of chemistry is almost laughable, especially because the filmmakers somehow thought people came to see a "love story". This whole plot could've been axed and nothing of value would be lost. In fact, the movie itself is just way longer than it needs to be. And while the major setpieces are good and violent and packed with patented Statham brawls, they're too few and far between. The intense combat sequence / throwaway scene ratio is very non-satisfactory.

( 4/10 )

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