Mechanic: Resurrection

A fairly standard action movie that you'll enjoy, especially if you're a fan of action films and Jason Statham. It's a relatively solid job, but you get the feeling that it's heavily inspired by Mission: Impossible and similar films, which is a shame. But the pool scene is very good. And when Jason hits someone, it hurts. (10/03/2016)

I honestly wasn't expecting much, but I'm pleasantly surprised at how solid it was. For me, one of Jason Statham's best solo efforts, and the sequel outshone the first one by a long shot. The action is very decent, the fights are raw and clear, Jessica Alba is gorgeous, the way the kills were executed was awesome. I was not only impressed by the intelligent preparation, but the execution itself didn't feel dumb and hackneyed, I wouldn't be at all opposed to more assignments like this, I wouldn't even hesitate about a fifth star. A compensation for Hitman. Statham is still in form. 80% (09/29/2016)

The complete antithesis of the contemporary action film, whose boundless pointlessness honestly entertained me with every frame. A disastrous plot, horribly propelled forward by dialogue that rarely bridges the pragmatic line of "Are you OK?" "They hit me." "Shit.", incredibly crappy digital tricks, and Jason Statham's naked tough guy ethos, whose voice leaves bruises on your skin, combine to create a likable, brainy spectacle that you'll immediately forget. I was even more beside myself with happiness after discovering that it cost 40 million to make, because budgets this mismanaged are to be cherished. I'll never get the foggy Rio out of my dreams again. For the other destinations, I had fun just counting down to what rank Statham's Mechanic would have won in Hitman. I could feel my brain softening. More! (01/09/2017)

The new Mechanic: Resurrection left me quite disappointed. The first film was brisk, had a solid plot, and well-developed character behavior, but in the sequel, all of that is cast aside. I did get plenty of action sequences, but their execution was pretty weak (which is interesting, given that with a $40 million budget, I’d expect a far better result). Aside from Jason Statham and Tommy Lee Jones, the performances are pretty poor—Jessica Alba’s acting was so bad it gave me a headache by the end. The story wasn’t badly conceived, but unfortunately, its execution was. I found myself laughing multiple times at the ridiculous illogical moments, because you encounter such absurdities at every turn. There were a few things I’d categorize as clever (for example, the scene with the suspended pool on the skyscraper), but otherwise, the film threw one cliché after another at the audience, to the point that it was impossible to ignore. The film was saved from being below average by Statham’s charisma, as well as Jones and a few interesting situations. On the other hand, the film is dragged down by a sidelined story, weak performances from the supporting actors, and unimpressive technical execution. I give it 55%. (08/04/2017)