The Mechanic - Blu-ray Review

3.7 Stars (out of 5)

Synopsis

When his mentor is murdered, lone hit man Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) trains the man's son, Steve McKenna (Ben Foster), in the ways of the professional kill. Together Arthur and his eager apprentice hunt down those responsible for executing Steve's father. But the partnership gives rise to new dangers and deceptions. Simon West directs and Donald Sutherland co-stars in this action-packed remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson thriller. (Buy Now $18.99)

Starring:

Jason Statham, Ben Foster, Tony Goldwyn, Donald Sutherland, Jeff Chase, Mini Anden, James Logan, Eddie J. Fernandez, John McConnell, Christa Campbell

Director:

Simon West

Blu-ray Release Date:

May 17, 2011

Subtitles:

English, English SDH, Spanish

Rating

Overall rating weighted as follows:
40%, Video 40%, Special Features 20%, Movie - its just our opinion so take it with a grain of salt

Audio 4.3 Stars (out of 5)

Dolby and DTS Demo Discs used as basis for comparison
●        Subwoofer – 4.0 Stars
●        Dialog – 5.0 Stars
●        Surround Effects – 4.0 Stars
●        Dynamic Range – 4.0 Stars

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

Gunshots and explosions are the stars of this audio presentation. They are delivered with heft and clarity, and fill the room with the noises of sinful adventure. A few soft background sounds like birds, crickets, and car engines help to bring the film to life. The fights are loud deliver every painful blow with clarity. I would have liked to see more surround effects used in the audio mix, and for the expection of breaking glass and car tires, not much action happens on the high frequency side. Overall this audio performance matches the movie, so I consider it average for an action Blu-ray.

Video  4.1 Stars (out of 5)

Spears & Munsil Benchmark Blu-ray Edition used as basis for comparison
●        Color Accuracy  - 3.5 Stars
●        Shadow detail – 3.5 Stars
●        Clarity – 4.5 Stars
●        Skin tones – 4.0 Stars
●        Compression – 5.0 Stars

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC, Resolution: 1080p, Aspect ratio: 2.40:1, Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1

I didn’t care for the video performance of this Blu-ray. First the contrast is higher than most action films, and everything has orange or golden tint, and reminds me of Halloween. Secondly, I have never seen a film with so much film grain added to it. I’m sure the director added this to make the film seam gritty, but it didn’t work for me. I understand that these were director choices and the original movie release probably looked the same, however when these choices are large enough distract from the movie it takes away from the experience. The dark colors were so dark there were no details in the shadows, however there were no compression issues visible in the darkness. However, the clarity stood out as being the best part of this film. Beard stubble, and Jason Statham’s bald-ish head stubble was clearly visible under the sea of film grain.

Bonus Features 2.0 Stars (out of 5)

• Deleted & Extended Scenes (1080p, 10:54): 5 Extened Scenes
• Tools of the Trade: Inside the Action (1080p, 7:48): Cast and crew interviews.
• Previews: Additional Sony titles.
• BD-Live.
• MovieIQ.

Movie - 3.5 Stars (out of 5)

Review

The Mechanic is the type of popcorn movie you’ll enjoy watching, but a week later you will forget you’ve seen it. This is mainly because most movies featuring a contract killer follow the same formula. This film is even worse because it’s a remake of the 1972 version of The Mechanic starring Charles Bronson. I’m not trying to say the original was routine, it was probably groundbreaking when it came out. Now a days, that story is old, and there have been plenty of movies like The Professional or even Hitman that offer something fresh to this sub-action genre.

It isn’t a bad movie though. Like all movies starring Jason Statham the fight scenes were choreographed perfectly, and had you on the edge of your seat. I found my self wincing at some of the action not just because of the awesome violence, but because of how raw it was. The movie takes a few expected twists, but offers a fun and vengeful ending that I enjoyed and showed what a true hitman’s heart is made of.