Cast: Jason Statham, Jessica Alba, Tommy Lee Jones, Michelle Yeoh
Director: Dennis Gansel
The Mechanic clarifies something upfront; it is brutal, ruthless and mechanical. The Resurrection is not very different from the 2011 Mechanic in terms of its presentation. It just has a bit of detailing thrown in here and there, but mostly it is the same movie. When you go for a Jason Statham movie you are assured of the action, of his eagle-like presence and his stone-cold attitude towards everything. It has the Statham brand of action and a lot of bad guys who are asking for it. And the best thing about it is the absolute lack of pretence, though it is a failed idea since they are all in the pretence that is the film. There is some introduction to Phonm Penh and Cambodian landscape, its beaches and its music, and they are lovely.
If you are interested in drama, this is a little bit of it, but it might not be very interesting. The story does not build on you and it does not try to keep up an illusion. It’s like Arthur Bishop (Statham) had to be brought back, so they went around and looked for the most round-about way to get his attention. Involving Gina (Jessica Alba) in the plot adds less to the story and more to the glam factor. The story does not venture any further into building a relationship or significant affection before she is snatched away from Bishop and in the bargain he has to kill three of the world’s most dangerous and strongly protected individuals.
Obviously, there is no stopping him, for the Bishop is almost like a bullet designed to pierce through metal, and enter the most secured fortress, and he does so with his constant, lustrous and emotionally drained expression. One wonders if there has been a moment of elation in his life and how would Bishop have expressed it then. Even Jessica Alba is not very expressive. The targets that Bishop has to eliminate are all interesting characters, and the incredible thing with the treatment of the film is that there is absolutely no personality or expression from the targets. You don’t see them in their personal lives, you simply hear the voice of the contractor describing the most banal details about the target, and Bishop has no interest in hearing their last words.
What it does is that it takes the audience in this world of guilt-free killing. A world of no remorse, no repentance and a world where you can simply go on pulling the trigger while imagining yourself in the armour vest. The troubles of trafficking, of racketeering and child abuse are rampant across the world and perhaps a mainstream film like this would raise a little more concern. Interesting thing to notice are the first two targets who are accused of child trafficking and abuse, and so there is no talking, simply killing. The third target, Tommy Lee Jones is into another kind and a different fate awaits him.
The writer is founder, Lightcube Film Society
