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Arthur Bishop is back.  He’s also pretty irritated.  You should NEVER mess with him while he is trying to eat.  And, as showcased by the always-charismatic Jason Statham, the specialist of accidental deaths at the center this violent tale of revenge proves the old adage that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.  Trust me, The Mechanic doesn’t even try to tinker with improving the B-movie formula.  It even throws in some orphans and your token bad British dude for good measure. 

Sure, sure, we don’t need this film but it’s certainly a hell of a lot of fun.  Statham’s joy in being involved in another Bishop adventure will certainly win over the audience.  He's in beast mode here and fans will be pleased.  This is essentially his bid to turn the character into a Bond-like figure.  He certainly doesn’t hide it and that’s to the film’s credit.  Go in with the right attitude and you’ll leave, 90 minutes or so later, satisfied with more of what we’ve come to expect from the actor.  With a healthy dose of do-it-yourself swagger, the film hits all the right notes before losing its control in the final act.

The seemingly unexpected sequel to 2011’s The Mechanic is a solid offering of steely-eyed assassinations and revenge.  It’s also got some exotic locales; featuring firm looks at Thailand, Rio, and Sydney, and offers Statham – whose hungry fanbase continues to grow thanks to his over-the-top performance in Spy and his turn as the villain in 2015's Furious 7 – another chance to have fun with a jaunty riff on a very familiar story structure.   

With Jessica Alba thrown in the new mix and Tommy Lee Jones as a colorful arms dealer game enough for the fun, the absence of a talent like Ben Foster from the original is barely felt.  But it’s with mention of Foster where we should begin as the script by Philip Shelby and Tony Mosher, leans upon it.  Having survived his former partner’s attempt to kill him, we are informed that Bishop, years ago, jumped straight into the quiet life of boating bliss, turning his back on his old ways.  His foes; however, have a very long memory and one enemy knows the right button to push to make Bishop return to his old ways: kidnap the apple of his eye.

Oh, snap.

Audiences – myself included – love it when Statham gets pumped and pissed when pushed too far.  The gaze.  The scowl.  The lowered voice.  The punches.  Not to mention, all the hair-raising stunts.  Mechanic: Resurrection doubles down on the action beats from the first one and offers many heart-stopping sequences inside incredibly designed buildings and additional underwater sequences.  Co-starring Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Nathalie Burn (The Expendables 3), Sam Hazeldine (last seen in The Brothers Grimsby) and Rhatha Phongam (Only God Forgives), Statham’s latest action-packed film is packed with solid actors who know EXACTLY the type of flick they are in.

Per his blackmailed orders, Statham must make each ordered assassination look like an accident and the extremes that he goes through – he has a mere 36 hours to do all three so he’s equipped with a montage – prove to me that there’s potentially an untapped franchise here when the stakes of his involvement are just right.  Armed with a healthy stretch of in-your-face action sequences, the route Mechanic: Resurrection, directed by The Fourth Kind’s Dennis Gansel, takes is indeed a smooth and adventurous one.

Considering that the business of Jason Statham eventually – when you add all receipts from the box office and the home entertainment sales – pays its investors well, do not be surprised if this late August release actually leads to another visit at this mechanic’s shop in the near future.  Bishop’s not done yet and considering that this rare sequel to a remake actually plays well, there's money to be made.  Audiences won't mind it either.

Mechanic: Resurrection does exactly what it needs to.  It gets in, gets bloody, and gets the hell out, leaving us wanting more.

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[tab title="Details"]

MPAA Rating: R for violence throughout and language
Runtime: 99 mins
Director: Dennis Gansel
Writer: Philip Shelby, Tony Mosher
Cast: Jason Statham, Jessica Alba, Tommy Lee Jones
Genre: Action | Crime
Tagline: Revenge is a dangerous business.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Each death must look like an accident"
Distributor: Lionsgate
Official Site: http://www.mechanic.movie/
Release Date: August 26, 2016
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: November 22, 2016.
Synopsis: Arthur Bishop (Statham) returns as the Mechanic in the sequel to the 2011 action thriller. When the deceitful actions of a cunning but beautiful woman (Alba) force him to return to the life he left behind, Bishop's life is once again in danger as he has to complete an impossible list of assassinations of the most dangerous men in the world.

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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Available on Blu-ray - November 22, 2016
Screen Formats: 2.40:1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos; English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit); English: Dolby Digital 2.0
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set (1 BD-50, 1 DVD); UV digital copy; iTunes digital copy; Digital copy; DVD copy
Region Encoding: Region A

Lionsgate Films and Summit Entertainment present Mechanic: Resurrection on blu-ray with solid results. The AVC encoded 1080p transfer (in 2.38:1) is a natural-looking item of beauty. With stunning locations and Jessica Alba in a bathing suit, the Red shot camera picks up fine details nicely. This is a high-speed adventure and we move around the world a lot. Each different place has a different sheen to its exteriors and the transfer honors those palette choices with fine representation. The sound is presented in a Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 core) track that is both expansive and expressive.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• None

Special Features:

With a beefed-up look at the fun happening off the screen, the supplemental items – while standard – are sure to please fans of Statham. The first two are a good length and the extra attention poured onto Isham is a nice change. Ultimately though, there is nothing remarkable here, but the brief inside look at the Malaysian prison is interesting enough. Included in the release are the UV digital copy and a DVD copy of the film.

• Engineering the Sequel (10 min)
• Scoring the Action Film with Mark Isham (9 min)
• The Malaysian Prison (2 min)
• Michelle Yeoh, Secret Ally (1 min)
• Statham on Stunts (1 min)

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