Loosely based on the Charles Bronson vehicle (no pun intended) from 1972, this take on The Mechanic stars Jason Statham as Arthur Bishop--a hit man for hire who teams with the son (Ben Foster) of his fallen mentor (Donald Sutherland). This version of The Mechanic is a throwback to those kick ass action flicks of the 80's. You know the one's I'm talking about? Over the top actioneers that were more interested in cutting to the chase than making any sort of rational sense (Commando anyone?).

Statham remains a formidable contemporary action star and Ben Foster brings a certain level of acting prowess that a film like this doesn't really deserve. The Mechanic is a bit dumbfounding. Foster's Steve McKenna is a loser type with no aspirations in life, but within the first thirty minutes of the film, he's found his true calling as that of Bishop's right hand man. And strangely, McKenna comes across as a seasoned pro without one lesson. In the first act, he's taking out guys ten times his size and executing trade secrets that would take most professionals an entire lifetime to learn. Of course, it seems hardly fair to question logic in a movie like this because again, its all about the chase. When punches are being thrown and things are going boom, my testicles started to carom wildly about my scrotum in a way that was not altogether unpleasant. Truly The Mechanic is quite the serviceable action flick and it wears its much deserved R rating proudly on its sleave.

For my money, it works more successfully than last year's The Expendables because it doesn't seem to be trying as hard. The Mechanic offers up a couple of sub plots that deal with deception and betrayal, and one such deception sets up the hilarious climax. Mostly though, this is an 80's inspired slice of machismo that we just don't see all that much anymore. If you're looking for brainless action, gratuitous nudity, in your face violence, and a by the numbers plot, than The Mechanic is for you. If you want real character development and a plot that consistently makes sense, don't bother. Personally, I had a fun time.